How To Help Your Community Prepare For an Emergency

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If a disaster hit, would people in your community know what to do? Work with community groups to help everyone get prepared.

To complete this How-To you will need:

Emergency-preparation checklists
Contacts at community groups to work with
A few people to help you

Step 1: Get the facts

Download emergency-preparation and event-planning checklists at CreateTheGood.org/HowTo

Step 2: Team up with a community organization

Ask local organizations to help you set up events to prepare the community for an emergency. Possibilities include faith-based groups, disaster relief organizations, neighborhood associations, PTAs, and more.

Step 3: Recruit volunteers

Once you've scoped out the project, make a list of roles for volunteers in the planning, promotion, and delivery of the event. Recruit from your personal network and the groups you are working with.

Tip: People often say they don't volunteer because no one asked them to. Make your request specific, emphasize that it's a short-term commitment, and play up the fun!

Step 4: Organize a document duplication event

Organize a document-duplication event -- a day when community members can go to a central location to photocopy the important documents they'd need in the event of an evacuation. Encourage them to store the papers in something waterproof, like a sealable plastic bag.

Tip: Vital documents include your social security card, driver's license, passport, health insurance cards, financial statements, credit card numbers, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, birth and marriage certificates, emergency contact information, and personal or family disaster plan.

Warning: Be vigilant about protecting participants' personal documents.

Step 5: Prepare emergency supply kits for those in need

Put together emergency supply kits with donated supplies or with money collected from fundraising efforts, private donations, and local businesses. Tap community leaders to help identify neighbors who require assistance and distribute kits to those in need.

Step 6: Publicize an evacuation plan

Invite a representative from your Red Cross chapter or a local government agency to speak about how best to evacuate in the event of an emergency.

Tip: If you can't secure a speaker, prepare your own presentation by going to ready.gov for information.

Step 7: Look out for each other

Hand out evacuation plan checklists at the meeting. Urge attendees to take responsibility for elderly or physically challenged neighbors who might have trouble vacating their home.

Step 8: Have a check-in plan

Encourage neighbors to prepare a check-in plan, and to write down a contact number or location where friends and relatives can check in with them after a disaster.

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Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• HomeFamily
• AARP
• preparing
• preparation
• emergencies
• emergency
• disaster
• evacuation
• community
• organizing
• ready

[AndNoted]

Here's a tip. During an emergency, GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY WAY!

[NuggetFan153]

now i know how to help my community prepare for an emergency!

[Tressco]

Just follow your next heavily armed government agent, broken into your house while you're asleep, to the next concentra...uhm...FEMA-Camp...­you won't feel a thing...they're very good & efficient...!

Government LUUUVS you...!

No, no, for sure!

They wouldn't lie to you, or did they ever...??

[xxmuffiniluxx]

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xxmuffiniluxx

rate,comment, subscribe!

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[cucumberzr4chumpz]

hmm I'd just rather watch them die :) my community sucks

[CasualMaggot]

54 % ? paranoid nation...

[MegLikesCookies]

Hey! You stole my plan, xoANONiMUSox! >:(

[PokeTrader01]

AHHHHH

[TwitCentral]

epic fail whale

[phantomwolf56]

wow this is really easy to do! $-^-^-$