September is National Disaster Preparedness Month, which means now is a good time to think about how to protect your home and family from disasters, whether natural, or otherwise. Keep reading below for a list of tips!

Identify Hazards

• Identify what type of hazards and disasters that are mostly likely to happen in your area. Find out information about your community’s warning system (Sirens, text, messages, etc.)

Consider purchasing a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAAA) Weather Radio.

• This type of radio broadcasts official warnings, watches, and weather advisories and other hazards all 24 hours of the day and all 7 days of the week.

Find out where local natural disasters organizations are located in your city (Red Cross, nonprofits) and learn how to contact them.

Inform yourself on any disaster plans at your workplace, child’s schools and other places you and your family visit.

• Hold a Family Meeting

Plan a family meeting so you can discuss disaster plans and why it’s important to be prepared for a natural disaster to happen.

Inform your family on the type of disasters that can happen in your area, explain what to do in those type of disasters.

Make an emergency plan and assign responsibilities to each family member, plan to work as a team together.

• Plan where you and your family will meet in case disaster strikes.

-Outside your home and neighborhood.

-Outside your city if you cannot enter your home/neighborhood.

• Inform your family on what to do in case of evacuation and create a family evacuation plan.

If you have a family member who is in the military or is frequently away from home, create a plan and inform your family on how you will respond if he or she is away in case of a natural disaster.

In your family plan be sure to include your family pets.

Prepare:

Create a disaster supply kit

Find/Locate a safe place for you and your family inside your home for each type of disaster. Inform other family members/friends your safe place in case you’re unable to exit your home.

Find out the best evacuation route from your home.

Inform/show each family member on how/where to shut off your home’s utilities (water, gas, electricity)

Practice your plan:

On a regular basis (every 3 to 6 months) practice your disaster plan with your family.

Be sure to check your disaster supply kit every three months, replace stored water and food every three months.

Update emergency contacts in case they change.

How to connect with missing loved ones

Be familiar with programs that help you find/connect with missing loved ones. These programs include Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Emergency Family Registry, American Red Cross Safe, which allow you to register as safe or search for missing family members/loved ones who have listed themselves as safe.