This page contains information about developing a household emergency plan for your family and preparing a survival kit for your home.

Household Emergency Plan: Your best protection is knowing what to do!

Your Household Emergency Plan is the first step in preparing your household for an emergency or disaster. The following plan is a list of activities that can help you prepare your household.

• Establish an out-of-area friend or relative as your family contact. This person will be the link between family members if they are separated from each other in an emergency.
• Print a copy of the contact card
• If you have children, know their school and daycare emergency policies. This will help you know what to do and where to go.
• Pre-arrange two meeting places for households members to meet: one outside your home in case of a sudden emergency and another outside your neighbourhood in case you can not return home. Record these locations on your contact card
• If you have pets, make arrangements for their care. Identify a shelter to which you can take them and ensure that their immunization records are up-to-date.
• Determine the best escape routes from your home. Find two routes, if possible, from each room of your home.
• Install smoke alarms on each level of your home, especially near bedrooms.
• Install a five pound Type ABC fire extinguisher in your home. There are three recommended locations: just outside the kitchen doorway, basement or where the furnace is located and the garage.
• Choose a shelter such as a closet under the stairs or the smallest room in the house. Avoid rooms with many windows as they may shatter and cause injury in situations such as hurricanes.
• Record important documents
• Have a meeting with your family to determine where and how to turn off utilities. Make sure they are labelled with clear instructions.

Preparing a Household Survival Kit

See checklist to prepare your household and your car survival kits

Remember to - fill your car up and to have your electronics fully charged, especially cell phones.

Consequences of major disasters

Disasters affect individuals and households as well as organizations and communities. Some of the most common effects include:

• a breakdown in communication systems;
• injury, illness or death;
• a decrease in the capability of emergency services to respond;
• a loss of utility and other community services; and
• a limited supply of basic provisions such as food, water, fuel and shelter.