INTRODUCTION

Preparation and planning for a disaster that may or may not happen is something most people put off or may never think about. This site pulls together information from a variety of sources that will help you do what you need to do to be prepared.

As we saw in the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the nation’s level of disaster preparedness is not where we want it to be, and it will take a concerted effort from not only the federal government, but states and local municipalities to improve the nation’s state of readiness. 

Also, we as individuals need to do our part to make sure we are prepared for a disaster by putting together a home and office disaster supplies kit, and also putting one in each vehicle we own.

Additionally, make a plan of action that you keep at each location, and communicate that plan to all family members. It takes a little time to put all these elements together, but once they are in place, they will only need to be updated as changes occur in our lives.

While not everyone may be able to do all these things, everyone can at least put together a basic amount of disaster supplies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has a web site which contains lots of useful information on how you as an individual can become prepared for disasters. As should be evident to anyone, disasters can and will strike anywhere at any time. 

The web site address is:

Ready.gov

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NOAA Fire Weather Information Center

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Privacy policies and important legal stuff

Notice: This web site is copyrighted. The information and links contained herein are provided “as is,” and even though every effort has been made to assure their accuracy, no guarantee of accuracy is to be assumed, and is not claimed.

Just click on the link above to be taken to the Ready.gov web site, which will open in a new window.

Disaster Planning

Putting together a disaster plan for your family can be accomplished by following a few basic steps.

• Go to the Ready.gov web site and download a copy of the guide.
• Look at FEMA’s web site for additional information on disaster preparedness. The address is www.fema.gov/
• Contact your county or state emergency management agency for information on hazards specific to your community, as well as information on hazards which are present in any community. Click on the “Preparedness” menu button on the left, then select “State” or “County” to go to the page with links to state emergency management agencies, or county emergency management agencies in Minnesota and Wisconsin. On the state emergency management page, you will find a link to FEMA’s list of state emergency management agencies, as well as to the National Emergency Management Association. On the County Emergency Management page, you likewise find a link to the National Association of Counties web site.
• Create your plan. See below for links to information which will aid you in doing this.
• Talk about your plan with other family members. Post it in a location that is known to everyone. Keep copies of it at work and in your car.
• Exercise and maintain your plan. Plans need to be exercised regularly in order for them to work. Exercising your plan will allow you to find flaws or omissions in it, so you can fix them.

Disaster Supplies Kit Info

Private Sector Links

Cernter for Biosecurity at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Energy Companies

Telephone and Cellular Providers

State Preparedness Campaigns

Minnesota

Minnesota goes “Code Ready.” Click below to download a Word format copy of the Press Release.

CodeReady Press Release

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