November’s preparedness focus is emergency supplies. Your facility should be prepared to go at least 72 hours without outside support or utilities such as running water, electricity, or telephone service following a disaster. Consider the following :
- Do you have enough food and potable water to sustain the people and animals that will be onsite during a disaster?
- How much water would be necessary to sustain your response team for a minimum of 72 hours? For any additional people that may be sheltering on grounds?
- Have you calculated the total amount of water your animals will need each day?
- How will water be stored?
- Do you have enough non-perishable food to meet the needs of both humans and animals?
- If your facility relies on generators, do you have enough gasoline on grounds to run them for a prolonged period?
- Have you calculated the burn rate of fuel for generators under heavy load?
- Are emergency supplies such as radios, flashlights, and extra batteries stored in an easily accessible location?
- If your facility has a ride-out team, have those team members been told to include necessary personal supplies and information in their go bags? This may include :
- Medication
- Personal items such as toothbrushes, soap, extra glasses etc.
- Emergency information:
- Contacts
- Medical information (medications, dosage, and doctor information)
- Insurance information
- Do you have any animals with special needs? If so:
- Is important information stored in a manner that is easily accessible without power/computer access?
- Do you have adequate medication and/or supplies to care for these animals in an emergency?
If you are just getting started with planning, consider looking to our Contingency Planning Modules for more industry specific information. Additional information on crisis communication plans for businesses is available on ready.gov.
Do 1 Thing, a non-profit organization that aims to build more disaster resilient communities, asks the community to do one “thing” to enhance preparedness each month.