Prepared People Save Lives: Take Action
You have made your emergency plan; now it is time to take action! Being prepared helps you respond to emergencies. Below are three things you can do to take action:
Sign Up and Stay Connected with Alerts
Alerts can help you stay up to date if there is an emergency in your area. Use resources such as:
- Ready.gov for federal-level alerts.
- The FEMA app for real-time updates.
- Sign up for your local township or municipality
alert systems. - Text Alerts: Text keywords (like “SHELTER” and your ZIP code to 43362) to receive immediate shelter information.
Pack or Update Your Emergency Kit (Go Bag)
Having a go bag ready can help save time when there is an emergency. Simply grab the bag and leave your home if you need to.
This bag should be filled with necessary items only, such as:
- Water: Keep at least one gallon per person.
- Food: Have non-perishable items like protein bars, trail mix, jerky, etc.
- Cash and Essentials: Make sure you have some cash, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, flashlights with extra batteries, and a first aid kit that includes your medication.
- Communications: Charge extra battery packs and have copies of important documents (IDs, maps, emergency contacts).
- Clothing & Supplies: Pack a change of clothes, rain gear, comfortable shoes, and personal hygiene items.
- Car(s): Always maintain at least half a tank of gas.
Know Your Plan and Build Resilience
Resilience means being able to deal with and quickly recover from a problem. It allows a person to be flexible when something bad happens
Be mentally and emotionally prepared, too. Practice skills to manage stress, build self-confidence, and solve problems.
What Can You Do Now?
- Review and Update Your Kit: Set reminders to check supplies and replace expired items.
- Review and Update Your Personal Emergency Plan: Talk with your family or support system about anything that may need to be changed. Plan a practice drill.
- Test Your Alert Systems: Make sure you are receiving all necessary alerts and warnings.
- Engage with Your Community: Participate in local drills or volunteer programs to practice community disaster response efforts.
Remember to always be informed, make a plan, and take action! Prepared people save lives. Check out AID in PA’s emergency preparedness resource collection for more information here.
This information was developed by the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT). For more information, please contact ASERT at 877-231-4244 or info@PAautism.org. ASERT is funded by the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations, PA Department of Human Services.