Emergency Do's and Don'ts

Do
  • Do communicate to your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors about emergency preparedness.
  • Do follow the directions of your public safety officials.
  • Do have a regular cord phone. Cordless phones that depend on an electrical base may not work if power is out.
  • Do have an emergency “go” kit ready. Collecting flashlights, batteries, first aid kits, clocks, radio, important papers in the midst of an emergency is not a good idea. Most people have gym bags, fishing boxes, why not an emergency “go” kit?
  • Do have at least 1 out-of-state contact. If circuits are busy you stand a better chance of reaching someone further away.
  • Do have enough medicine.
  • Do have extra cell phone batteries.
  • Do include your pets in your plan. If you must leave your home in an emergency, take your pets.
  • Do keep a wallet-sized list of your contact information and meeting places with you at all times.
  • Do keep cash on hand.
  • Do keep gas in your car.
  • Do keep your photo negatives in a watertight envelope along with your important papers in your “go” kit. Photo albums are the number 1 possession that people regret losing.
  • Do review your plan and kit seasonally.
  • Do share resources and car pool in major emergency evacuations. Do stop and think and use common sense in an emergency.
  • Do store water and food for an extended period of time.
Don't
  • Don’t call 911 unless there is a life-threatening emergency. Too many calls can bring down 911 services.
  • Don’t drink, eat, or smoke anything during an emergency from a chemical source or unknown explosion until you are out of harm’s way.
  • Don’t go anywhere except to your designated meeting place after escaping from an emergency scene. You do not want fire or police personnel risking their lives searching for you because they don’t know you got out safely.
  • Don’t go to a shelter without your pets.
  • Don’t go to any emergency scene.
  • Don’t have long conversations on your cell phone as it will quickly deplete your batteries and you may not be in a position to recharge your phone.
  • Don’t have predetermined evacuation routes. In a HAZMAT incident, the direction of the wind and weather conditions will dictate which way to go.
  • Don’t leave behind any food, water, medicine, or clothing you might need when going to a shelter.
  • Don’t leave your pets behind.
  • Don’t make assumptions.
  • Don’t panic. In an emergency take a moment to think before you act.
  • Don’t travel downwind of a chemical incident.