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, 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, 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
- National Weather Service Weather Safety
- Be a Force of Nature with NOAA's Weather-Ready Nation
- NWS Storm-Ready Sites & Communities
- Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
- Ready.gov Kids
- American Red Cross
- ReadyNC.org
- NCEM.org
For more information on North Carolina’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4285 and readync.org. Follow FEMA on Twitter at @femaregion4 and North Carolina Emergency Management @NCEmergency.
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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. 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 or follow N.C. Emergency Management on Twitter and Facebook. People or organizations that want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit 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. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.