PLANNING FOR AN EMERGENCY IS CRUCIAL FOR FAMILY SAFETY
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/planning-emergency-crucial-family-safety]


Release Date: 
March 7, 2017 

DURHAM, N.C.--Severe weather can happen any time of the year.  In
North Carolina, the first full week of March is designated as Severe
Weather Preparedness Week, a time when residents are urged to develop
or review and update their family emergency plan.

An emergency plan should include how everyone will contact each other,
where to go, how you will get back together and what to do in
different situations. A good place to begin is Ready.Gov
[http://www.ready.gov/], the disaster preparedness website managed by
the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. North Carolina Emergency Management operates
another site, ReadyNC.org [http://www.readync.org/], which is
available as an app for your phone.

These sites offer an array of resources such as forms to print out and
fill in with contact information on each family member, phone numbers
of out-of-town contacts, work locations and other important phone
numbers.

Your plan also should include emergency plans for places where your
family spends time, such as work, school and daycare.

Identify an out-of-town friend or relative as a contact person for
your family members. During an emergency each member of the family
will call the contact and let them know they are safe. An out-of-town
contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated
family members.

Decide where to go in an emergency. Plan and practice for different
scenarios, such as where to go if there is a fire. What do you do if
an emergency happens at night? Where in the home is the safest place
if a tornado hits? If you live in an area susceptible to hurricanes,
decide whether to evacuate or stay. Plan several evacuation routes, if
possible, in case some roads become impassable. Identify where you
will stay until it is safe to return home. If you have pets, find, in
advance, places to board them or hotels and shelters that are pet
friendly.

During a wide-scale disaster, such as tornado or hurricane, prepare
for power outages. Keep fresh batteries for flashlights, keep cell
phones fully charged. Consider purchasing a cell phone charger for
your vehicle or a battery operated charger. Also, keep your gas tank
full.

During hurricane season, keep a basic disaster supply kit of
nonperishable food, water, first aid supplies, medicines, disposable
diapers, formula and baby food (if necessary), plus extra food and
water for pets. Don’t forget a manual can opener. Keep these items
in a waterproof container and include enough food and water for up to
three days.

A battery-operated weather radio or television will be invaluable in
an emergency. The radios can be programmed to your local weather
service office and will provide information on approaching severe
weather. Heed their advice if you are directed to evacuate.

Keep enough cash on hand to get through several days. Banks will
likely be closed and ATMs won’t function during a power outage.

Several government agencies work together to help you and your family
stay safe. If you would like additional information, try these links:

	* Are You Ready? Guide [https://www.ready.gov/are-you-ready-guide]
	* National Weather Service Weather Safety
[http://www.nws.noaa.gov/safety.php]
	* Be a Force of Nature with NOAA's Weather-Ready Nation
[http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/force.html]
	* NWS Storm-Ready Sites & Communities
[http://www.nws.noaa.gov/stormready/]
	* Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
[https://www.osha.gov/dts/weather/hurricane/]
	* Ready.gov Kids [http://www.ready.gov/kids]
	* American Red Cross
[http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/be-red-cross-ready] 
	* ReadyNC.org [http://www.readync.org/]
	* NCEM.org [http://www.ncem.org/]

For more information on North Carolina’s recovery, visit
fema.gov/disaster/4285 [https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4285] and
readync.org [http://www.readync.org/]. Follow FEMA on Twitter at
@femaregion4 [http://www.twitter.com/femaregion4] and North Carolina
Emergency Management @NCEmergency
[https://twitter.com/NCEmergency?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor]_._

###

_Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race,
color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English
proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been
discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 or TTY at
800-462-7585. _

_FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to
ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and
improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to,
recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow FEMA on twitter at
__@femaregion4_ [http://www.twitter.com/femaregion4]. _Download the
FEMA app with tools and tips to keep you safe before, during, and
after disasters. _

_Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 to speak with a trained call specialist
about questions you have regarding Hurricane Matthew; the service is
free, confidential and available in any language. They can help direct
you to resources. Call 5-1-1 or 877-511-4662 for the latest road
conditions or check the ReadyNC mobile app, which also has real-time
shelter and evacuation information. For updates on Hurricane Matthew
impacts and relief efforts, go to __ReadyNC.org_
[http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=35936152&msgid=386189&act=7ATW&c=1346310&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.readync.org]_ or
follow N.C. Emergency Management on __Twitter_
[https://twitter.com/NCEmergency]_ and __Facebook_
[http://www.facebook.com/ncemergency]_. People or organizations that
want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit
__NCdisasterrelief.org_ [http://ncdisasterrelief.org/]_ or text
NCRecovers to 30306. _

_The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal
government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of
disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters,
businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund
repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or
disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses
not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not
duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more
information, applicants may contact SBA’s Customer Service Center by
calling (800) 659-2955, emailing __disastercustomerservice@sba.gov__,
or visiting SBA’s Web site at __www.sba.gov/disaster_
[http://www.sba.gov/disaster]_. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals
may call (800) 877-8339._