• Give family members the phone number of an out of town contact who may not be affected by the emergency. They can call the contact to coordinate communications with your family.
  
• Choose a familiar local place where your family can meet. Choose an additional out-of-town location in case you’re evacuated.
  
• Plan for the needs of children, the elderly and pets.
  
• Learn your community’s evacuation routes and sheltering plans (look below for muni list)
  
• Know the emergency plans for your workplace, your children’s school, daycare, etc. Add that information to your family plan.
  
• Practice your plan with household members. Make sure everyone knows what to do in different kinds of emergencies.

72-hour Home Emergency Kit—3 days of supplies for your household members and pets.

• Water-1 gallon per person/animal per day
  
• Non-perishable food for humans and pets
  
• Hand operated can opener, dishes, silverware, other food preparation/consumption utensils
  
• 3 days supply of medications
  
• Conventional hard-wired land-line phone that doesn’t need electricity
  
• First-Aid kit
  
• Extra clothing and blankets, diapers as needed
  
• Battery-operated radio and flashlight
  
• Books/games
  
• Personal hygiene supplies, hand sanitizer, moist towelettes and toilet paper
  
• Bleach, unscented for sterilizing drinking water
  
• Map of the area

Evacuation Go-Bag: Prepare one Go-Bag for each household member in a backpack or easy to carry container and put an I.D. tag on each. Consider keeping a kit in your car. A Go-Bag contains most of the same items as your 72-hour Home Emergency Kit. Some other items to add are:

• Whistle
  
• Dust mask and disposable gloves
  
• Pocket knife
  
• Cash in small denominations (ATMs may not be in service), quarters for phone calls
  
• Some water and food
  
• Permanent marker, paper and tape
  
• Pet photo, copies of all immunizations, etc.
  
• Copies of important documents and contact numbers
  
• Warm hats, gloves, coats

Be prepared for when emergencies occur. Stay informed with battery-powered, or generator powered, or solar powered, or crank-powered radios. Have plenty of batteries in your emergency kit.

Educate yourself and your family about your community’s emergency preparedness routine and resources. Check your municipal web-site (link below) and/or contact your municipalities’ Emergency Management Director (EMD) to find out:
- Where are the nearest shelters in your community?
- How will you get news if disaster strikes?
- What are your community’s evacuation routes?
- How will you get local emergency information?

Be prepared to help your neighbors. It’s important to get to know your neighbors now, before an emergency happens. Here are some ways you can get involved:

• Have an open house; invite your neighbors and review this website together, talk about what you and your families will do in the event of an emergency
  
• Contact your community Emergency Management Director (EMD) and learn about your community’s emergency prepared ness plans
  
• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): Trains citizens to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their communities www.citizencorps.gov
  
• Western MASS Medical Reserve Corps (WMMRC): Community volunteers, including medical professionals, who help prepare for and respond to emergencies in their own region. www.wmmrc.org