|
Get A Kit
The City of Philadelphia wants you to be prepared for any emergency. Here’s what you need to have in your head, in your home, and in your hand. Are you ready, or not?
Be Ready to Shelter in Place
Shelter in Place means to stay indoors.
Whether you are at home, work or elsewhere, there may be situations when it's simply best to stay where you are. When evacuation is inappropriate or impossible, officials may instruct you to stay where you are. If you must Shelter in Place:
- Identify a room with few doors or windows
- Ideally, the room should be above street level, allow enough room for everyone in your household, have access to a water supply and bathroom facilities, and have a phone jack.
- Act quickly and follow instructions. Your main objective should be to get to a safe indoor location.
- Close and lock all windows and doors, and close fireplace dampers
- Turn off all heating and cooling systems such as air conditioners and window exhaust fans, if told to do so by officials
- Listen to KYW 1060 AM radio for further instructions
- Make use of your Shelter in Place Kit
- Only seal doors and windows when instructed to do so by emergency officials. If instructed, cover cracks along doors and windows with tape, wet rags or towels.
- Keep your pets with you
- Follow all instructions from officials, such as covering your mouth and nose with a wet cloth or handkerchief
- If you have a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 to let the Police and Fire Departments know you need special help
Make a Shelter in Place Kit.
- Keep enough supplies in your home to get by on your own for at least three days. Keep your Kit in a special place in your home, where you can get to it easily
- Tell everyone in your house that these supplies are for emergencies only
- Check the expiration dates of food and batteries in your Shelter in Place Kit when you change your clocks for daylight saving times
WHAT TO HAVE IN YOUR HOME
Items for Your Shelter in Place Kit:
- One gallon of drinking water per person per day
- Food that will not spoil easily, ready-to-eat canned foods
- Manual can opener and eating utensils
- First-aid kit
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries (you can also buy wind-up radios that do not require batteries)
- Whistle to signal for help
- Iodine tablets or one quart of unscented bleach and an eyedropper
- Disinfect water ONLY if directed to do so by health officials. To disinfect water with bleach, add 8 drops of bleach per gallon of water.
- Personal care items: soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, feminine products, toilet paper and wipes.
- Phone that does not need electricity (just plugs into a phone jack)
- Child care supplies or other special care items
Officials will notify you by radio when the emergency is over. Only then should you open all doors and windows to let fresh air into your home.
Be Ready to Evacuate.
Evacuate means that you must leave
Some emergencies may require that you leave your home and travel go to an emergency shelter. Plan how you will assemble your family and anticipate where you will go.
If you must evacuate, here is what you need to do:
- Stay calm. Do exactly what officials tell you to do.
- Listen to KYW 1060 AM radio for instructions
- Grab your Go Bag
- Stay inside your home until officials tell you it is okay to leave. Lock all doors and windows. When told, leave in an orderly fashion.
- If you have a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 to let the Police and Fire Departments know you need special help
- Officials may ask you to drive your car, go with a neighbor, or go to a place to get on a bus
- Whether officials tell you to evacuate or Shelter in Place will depend upon conditions in your area. If you are not told to evacuate, you should Shelter in Place.
Grab Your GO BAG
Prepare a Go Bag for your household.
- A Go Bag is a kit of things you’ll need if officials tell you to evacuate
- Your Go Bag should be easy to carry – a backpack or small suitcase on wheels.
- Keep your Go Bag in a place where you can get to it easily, in case you have to leave in a hurry
WHAT TO HAVE IN YOUR HAND
Items for your Go Bag:
- Copies of your important documents (insurance cards, photo IDs, proof of address, etc.) in a waterproof and portable container
- Extra set of car and house keys
- Credit and ATM cards
- Cash, especially in small bills like ones, fives and tens
- Bottled water and food that will not easily perish spoil, such as energy or granola bars
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Wind up or battery-operated AM/FM radio, and extra batteries
- Medication. Be sure to refill medications before they expire. Keep a list of the medications each member of your household takes, why they take them, and their dosages.
- Personal care items: soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, feminine hygiene products
- Child care supplies or other special care items
- First-aid kit
- Sturdy, comfortable shoes, lightweight raingear, and a mylar blanket
- Contact and meeting place information for your household
- Small regional map
Buy an Emergency Preparedness Kit Online
Make A Plan
WHAT TO HAVE IN YOUR HEAD
Your Household Emergency Plan
Emergency preparedness is simple if you plan ahead. It is easy and inexpensive for anyone. Here are the steps you should follow:
Talk About Emergencies
- Talk with your family about emergencies that can happen where you live and why you need to prepare for these events
- Calmly explain the potential dangers, and plan to work together as a team
Pick a Meeting Place
- Decide where your household will meet after an emergency. You need two places to meet: one right outside your home, and another outside your neighborhood, such as a library, community center, or place of worship.
Create a Family Communications Plan
- Ask an out-of-state friend or relative to be someone that household members can call during an emergency. (If Philadelphia phone circuits are busy, long distance calls may be easier to make.)
- Be sure every member of your family knows the emergency phone number and keeps coins or a prepaid phone card on hand.
- Be patient. You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether.
- Think about everyone in your family – especially seniors, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers. They may have special needs.
- Give everyone in your house a copy of your household emergency plan and emergency contact information to keep in their wallets and backpacks. (link to household guide and/or pocket guide, reference page number)
Emergency Information
- Know how you will be notified in an emergency
- Methods of alerting you vary from community to community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV news. Others include special sirens, telephone calls, or emergency workers going door to door.
- Find out what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area.
- The Philadelphia area may experience flooding, severe winter storms, hurricanes, heat waves, fires, a hazardous materials incident or a possible terrorist attack.
The American Red Cross has more about the types of emergencies that may occur in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Be Informed
- Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as making an emergency plan for your household, getting a Go Bag, making a Shelter in Place Kit, are important preparations.
- However, there are important differences among potential emergencies that will impact the decisions you make and the actions you take. Learn more about the different kinds of emergencies and the appropriate way to respond to each.
- Learn about the emergency plans Philadelphia has in place
- Find out (link to Be Informed page) what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area.
- The Philadelphia area may experience flooding, severe winter storms, hurricanes, heat waves, fires, a hazardous materials incident or a possible terrorist attack.
The American Red Cross has more about the types of emergencies that may occur in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
High-Rise Safety
Schools, businesses, and apartment buildings should all have site-specific emergency plans. It is important to know what those plans are and what your responsibilities might be during an emergency.
HIGH-RISE SAFETY TIPS
- Know where the closest emergency exit is
- Be sure you know another way out in case your first choice is blocked
- Take cover under a desk or table if things are falling
- Move away from file cabinets, bookshelves or other things that might fall
- Face away from windows and glass
- Move away from exterior walls
- Determine if you should Shelter in Place or evacuate the building
- Listen for and follow instructions
- Take your Go Bag, unless there is reason to believe it has been contaminated
- Do not use elevators
- While going down stairwells, stay to the right to allow emergency workers to come up
Learn more about high rise safety at www.ready.gov
Get Involved
After preparing yourself and your family for possible emergencies, take the next step: get training in first aid and emergency response and get involved in preparing your community.
GET TRAINING
- The American Red Cross offers a wide range of courses and gives people the skills to face emergency situations with confidence. Visit your local American Red Cross chapter website for information on training courses offered.
- Training at American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter.
- Find your local Red Cross Chapter
- VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) is a collaboration of a diverse group of organizations and citizens trained to meet community needs should a large-scale natural or man-made disaster occur. As a VOAD volunteer, you will get training in disaster response and recovery including safety, mass care and shelter operations. There is also a full day of standardized American Red Cross training on First Aid, CPR, and AED. Get more information and get involved. Call 215-299-4054.
- Citizen Corps asks you to embrace the personal responsibility to be prepared; to get training in first aid and emergency skills; and to volunteer to support local emergency responders, disaster relief, and community safety. For more information or to get involved visit www.citizencorps.gov to find your local Citizen Corps council.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER
Helping others feels good, and helps you feel good about yourself. Your local Red Cross and other recognized volunteer organizations can work with you to provide rewarding experiences, opportunities to utilize your talents, or provide training to help you serve your community.
Salvation Army
Eastern Pennsylvania & Delaware Division
215-787-2800
www.salvationarmyphiladelphia.org
New Jersey Division
908-851-9300
www.newjerseysalvationarmy.org
Before going to volunteer at a relief organization, hospital or disaster site after a disaster, wait for instructions from local officials.
Be patient. After a disaster, there are often many people waiting to volunteer. There may be a greater need for volunteers in the weeks and months after a disaster.
MAKE A DONATION
Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Espa˜ol)
You can help by donating money to a disaster relief organization. They will know where help is needed and what kind.
Before donating any goods, including food or clothing, find out from local officials or the specific organization if they need your donation. Sometimes, the cost to sort, package and distribute these types of donations to disaster victims is greater than the cost of purchasing the items locally. If you would like to discuss this type of donation, please contact your local Red Cross Chapter.
Additional Resources and Links
Learn more about local Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware county resources.
|