Make a Plan

A critical step in being prepared is to have a plan in place that helps you respond to any emergency. Here are a few tips to help with developing your emergency plan.

1. Know the hazards
It is important that your plan cover all hazards, not just the ones that occur frequently. Visit our Hazard Page to learn more about the hazards facing our community. Once you know the hazards you can develop ways to respond that will be included in your plan.

2. Write the plan down
Do not rely on memory for steps you will take or even phone numbers. Make sure the plan is written down and each family member has a copy. The ReadyNOVA website in the resources below is a great tool to create and print your emergency plan.

3. Practice regularly
Have all family members practice the plan frequently to ensure everyone is ready to respond. If you find something didn’t work, make changes and practice again!

Resources

• ReadyNOVA
• www.ready.gov/plan

Build a Kit

An emergency kit will provide the essentials that you need in the event of an incident that disrupts how you normally get supplies. Your at-home supply kit should contain 3 days worth of the supplies listed in the Basic Supplies section below and also copies of your important paperwork. It is a good idea to also have a go-bag that is a scaled down version of the at-home kit that is easily portable and can go in your vehicle. 

Resources

• www.ready.gov/kit
• Ready.gov's Emergency Supply List (pdf)

To get you started, we've listed some essential items below:

Stay Informed

Visit our Emergency Alerts page to sign up to receive emergency alerts via email or text through Alert Loudoun and learn about other sources of the emergency information