El Paso County Public Health
National Preparedness Month: Be Prepared in 1, 2, 3
By Janel McNair, Disease Prevention & Response Acting Division Director
In El Paso County, we know that emergencies like wildfires, severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, winter storms and hazardous material incidents can happen with little or no warning. Are you and your family prepared if such an emergency occurs? September is National Preparedness Month, an ideal time to review your emergency plans and ensure you are ready for the unexpected.
If preparing for emergencies seems overwhelming, there’s an easy way to approach it. Start by remembering: “Be Prepared in 1, 2, 3.” The numbers “1, 2, 3” stand for make a plan, build a kit and stay informed. These are three simple steps that can make a big difference when disaster strikes.
Make a household plan
Planning ahead is the first step to ensuring you and your family are prepared for a crisis. To start, follow these simple steps:
1) Assess the kinds of hazards you might encounter at your home (for instance wildfire or flood).
2) Check in with your family’s school and work locations to understand their emergency response plans.
3) Host a household meeting and talk about how you would respond to each type of emergency, including your evacuation plan.
4) Complete a family communication plan so everyone knows where to meet and how to connect in an emergency.
5) Make sure to train your family on how to respond to emergencies, including teaching children emergency phone numbers and ensuring everyone knows how to shut off water, gas and electricity.
6) Keep learning. Take a CPR class. Find out more about how to protect your family and home.
7) Review and copy important documents and keep a second set in a secure place outside the home.
8) Discuss any special household needs, including caring for elderly or disabled family members as well as pets.
9) Learn more at https://pproem.com/makeaplan
.
Build a kit
Put together a household emergency kit with essentials such as food, water, flashlights and pet supplies. You should also consider assembling an evacuation kit and a vehicle kit. While a household kit includes food, water and other supplies that help you survive for 72 hours after an emergency, evacuation kits include everything you need if you are leaving your home, including people, pets, papers, prescriptions and photos. A vehicle kit, on the other hand, includes food and water, along with items you may need if stranded, like jumper cables, flares, an ice scraper, a cell phone charger, a blanket, a map and cat litter (for traction). Not sure what to include in your kits? Learn more at https://pproem.com/build-kit.
Stay informed
Sign up for local alerts and stay connected with trusted sources like El Paso County Public Health, Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management (sign up for alerts at https://pproem.com/alerts) and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO).
- Peak Alerts – Sign up for Peak Alerts to be notified of law enforcement activity, evacuation notices and emergency situations near your home or work. Visit https://member.everbridge.net/1772417038942752/new to sign up.
- Learn more about how you can stay informed of emergencies at https://pproem.com/stay-informed
Remember, by preparing today, we can all help keep our families, neighbors and community safer tomorrow.
