Most of us believe a disaster will happen somewhere else, to someone else. But an emergency can arrive without much warning. It may begin with a tornado siren, a sudden power outage, a house fire, rising floodwater, or an order to evacuate.
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When that happens, there may not be time to find medications, charge a phone, gather insurance papers, locate a pet carrier, or decide where to go.
That is why every household needs a disaster planning checklist.
Preparing for an emergency does not mean expecting the worst. It means making a few important decisions while you have the time and ability to think clearly. A little preparation today can make an overwhelming situation safer and more manageable tomorrow
What Is Disaster Planning?
Disaster planning is the process of deciding what you and your household will do before, during, and after an emergency.
A complete disaster plan should answer several questions:
- How will we receive emergency warnings?
- Where will we shelter inside our home?
- When should we evacuate?
- Where will we go if we must leave?
- How will family members contact one another?
- Who will help children, seniors, or people with disabilities?
- How will we transport our pets?
- What medications, documents, and supplies must we take?
You do not have to complete everything in one day. Begin with the most important information and build your plan gradually.
Which Disasters Could Affect Your Area?
The emergencies you should prepare for depend partly on where you live.
Possible disasters include:
- Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms
- Floods and flash floods
- Hurricanes
- Wildfires
- Extreme heat
- Winter storms and freezing temperatures
- Extended power outages
- House or apartment fires
- Chemical spills
- Public-health emergencies
Here in Texas, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, extreme heat, flash flooding, winter freezes, and power outages are all realistic concerns.
Learn which hazards are most common in your community. Sign up for local emergency notifications and pay attention to trusted information from local authorities and the National Weather Service.
What Is the Difference Between a Watch and a Warning?
Understanding emergency language can save valuable time.
A watch means conditions are favorable for dangerous weather to develop. Stay alert, review your plans, and be ready to act.
A warning means dangerous weather has been reported or detected. Take protective action immediately.
Do not wait until you can see a tornado, floodwater, or wildfire before moving to safety.
How Do You Make a Family Emergency Plan?
Your household emergency plan should be simple enough for everyone to understand and remember.
Choose:
- A safe place inside your home
- A meeting place near your home
- A second meeting place outside your neighborhood
- An out-of-area family contact
- Two possible evacuation routes
- A destination where you could stay
- A person who can assist anyone needing extra help
- A plan for every pet in the household
During a widespread emergency, local telephone lines may be overloaded. An out-of-area contact may be easier to reach. Make sure every family member has that person’s name and telephone number.
Keep printed contact information in your wallet, emergency kit, vehicle, and another safe location. Do not depend entirely on the contacts stored in your phone.
What Should Be in an Emergency Supply Kit?
An emergency kit should contain enough basic supplies to help your household remain safe for several days.
Your basic disaster planning checklist should include:
- Drinking water
- Nonperishable food
- Manual can opener
- Flashlights
- Extra batteries
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- First-aid kit
- Prescription and nonprescription medications
- Phone chargers and portable power banks
- Personal hygiene supplies
- Face masks
- Work gloves
- Blankets and seasonal clothing
- Cash in small bills
- Copies of important documents
- Local maps
- Whistle
- Basic tools
- Pet food, water, medications, and supplies
Store everything in containers that are easy to carry. Check your kit at least twice a year for expired food, medications, dead batteries, outdated documents, and clothing that no longer fits.
You can build the kit a little at a time. Start with supplies you already own and add one or two items during each shopping trip.
What Should Seniors Include in a Disaster Plan?
Older adults may face additional challenges during an emergency. These can include limited mobility, hearing or vision loss, chronic health conditions, transportation difficulties, and dependence on medical equipment.
A senior emergency plan should include:
- A current medication list
- Medical conditions and allergies
- Doctors’ and pharmacy contact information
- Copies of insurance cards
- Extra eyeglasses
- Hearing-aid batteries
- Mobility aids
- Communication devices
- Medical equipment instructions
- Transportation arrangements
- Accessible shelter information
- A dependable support network
If you live alone, choose at least two trusted people who can check on you during an emergency. Give them the information they would need to assist you.
If you live in a senior community or apartment building, ask management about emergency procedures, shelter locations, evacuation assistance, backup power, and how residents will receive instructions.
How Much Medication Should You Keep for an Emergency?
Medication planning should happen before a storm or evacuation order is issued.
Ask your doctor, pharmacist, and insurance provider:
- Whether you can obtain an emergency supply
- How early prescriptions can be refilled
- Which medications require refrigeration
- How medication should be transported
- What to do if a pharmacy is closed
- Whether a prescription can be transferred to another pharmacy
Prepare a written medication record containing:
- Medication name
- Dosage
- Reason for taking it
- Prescribing doctor
- Pharmacy name and telephone number
- Allergies
- Medical conditions
- Special storage instructions
Keep a copy in your emergency kit and another with a trusted family member or caregiver.
Never change a dosage or use medication affected by heat, flooding, or an extended power outage without consulting a qualified medical professional or pharmacist.
What If You Depend on Electric Medical Equipment?
A power outage can be more than an inconvenience for someone who uses oxygen equipment, a CPAP machine, a motorized mobility device, refrigerated medication, or another electrically powered medical device.
Prepare by identifying:
- Backup batteries
- Safe backup-power options
- Equipment charging locations
- Medical-equipment supplier contacts
- Accessible emergency shelters
- Transportation assistance
- Your electric utility’s medical-needs program, if offered
Keep written instructions with the equipment so another person can help operate or move it.
Never use a generator, grill, camp stove, or other fuel-burning device inside a home, garage, or enclosed space. These devices can create deadly carbon monoxide.
Which Important Documents Should You Protect?
Important documents should be stored in a waterproof, portable container. Secure digital copies may also be helpful, but they should not be your only copies.
Include:
- Driver’s license or identification
- Social Security and Medicare information
- Health-insurance cards
- Homeowners or renters insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Medication and medical records
- Banking information
- Emergency contacts
- Property records
- Will
- Financial power of attorney
- Medical power of attorney
- Advance directive
- Pet vaccination records
- Recent photographs of household members and pets
Create a photo or video inventory of your home and belongings. This may help if you need to file an insurance claim.
Do not place passwords or complete account information in an unsecured emergency bag. Sensitive information should be protected but accessible to the trusted person who may need it.
Should You Evacuate or Shelter at Home?
The right decision depends on the type of emergency and the instructions provided by local officials.
You may need to shelter in place during dangerous outdoor conditions, chemical incidents, severe storms, or certain public-health emergencies.
You may need to evacuate because of fire, flooding, a gas leak, wildfire, hurricane, or another immediate danger.
Never ignore an official evacuation order. Waiting too long can make roads unsafe and reduce available transportation.
Before leaving:
- Take your emergency kit
- Gather medications and medical supplies
- Charge your phone
- Take important documents
- Turn off utilities if instructed
- Secure your home
- Tell your emergency contact where you are going
- Take your pets with you
- Follow approved evacuation routes
Keep your vehicle fueled when severe weather is expected. Store a smaller emergency kit in the car with water, snacks, a flashlight, blanket, phone charger, first-aid supplies, and seasonal necessities.
How Do You Prepare Pets for a Disaster?
Pets depend entirely on us during emergencies. If it is unsafe for you to remain at home, it is probably unsafe for them too.
Prepare a pet emergency kit containing:
- Food and water
- Bowls
- Medication
- Leash and harness
- Secure carrier
- Waste supplies
- Bedding or a comfort item
- Vaccination records
- Veterinarian information
- Recent pet photograph
- Photograph of you with your pet
Identify pet-friendly hotels, boarding facilities, relatives, and shelters along your possible evacuation routes. Do not assume that every public emergency shelter accepts pets.
Make sure identification tags and microchip information are current.
How Can You Stay Informed During an Emergency?
Use more than one way to receive warnings.
Possible sources include:
- Wireless emergency alerts
- Local emergency-notification systems
- Weather radio
- Local television and radio
- National Weather Service alerts
- Trusted local government announcements
Social media can provide helpful updates, but it can also spread rumors and outdated information. Confirm important instructions through official sources before sharing them.
Keep portable chargers ready and preserve your phone battery by reducing screen brightness and closing unnecessary applications.
What Should You Do After a Disaster?
Danger may continue after the storm, fire, flood, or other event has passed.
After an emergency:
- Wait for official instructions before returning home
- Avoid floodwater and damaged roads
- Stay away from fallen power lines
- Check for gas leaks and structural damage
- Photograph damage before beginning cleanup
- Use protective clothing and gloves
- Discard unsafe food and contaminated water
- Contact your insurance company
- Check on neighbors when it is safe
- Restock your emergency supplies
- Update your plan based on what you learned
Be alert for scams. Disasters often attract dishonest contractors, fake charities, and people asking for personal or financial information.
Start Your Disaster Planning Checklist Today
Disaster planning can feel overwhelming when you look at everything at once. You do not have to finish the entire plan today.
Begin with three simple steps:
- Write down your emergency contacts.
- Gather your medications and important medical information.
- Place basic emergency supplies in an easy-to-carry container.
Then choose one small preparedness task each week until your plan is complete.
The goal is not to live in fear. The goal is to know that if something unexpected happens, you have already taken practical steps to protect yourself and the people and pets who depend on you.
From the Front Porch
Preparation cannot prevent every emergency, but it can replace confusion with a plan and fear with the confidence to take the next right step.
