San Diego City Wire

Giving yourself and your family the best chance in a local disaster is not just about luck, but involves planning and preparing for various hazards to reduce injuries, deaths, and damages.

The first step is to understand the risks in your neighborhood and workplace using an easy-to-use planning tool. By entering your address, you can determine if your home or workplace is in a floodplain, high wildfire hazard area, or tsunami zone. If so, preparedness tips will be provided to help minimize damage and protect household members.

The second step involves completing and practicing a Personal Disaster Plan with a template available in 12 languages. This plan includes noting important phone numbers for emergency agencies, emergency contacts, medical conditions, medications, allergies, blood type, escape plans from each room in the dwelling, two ways out of the neighborhood, and meeting places if household members are separated. The template also offers hazard-specific tips such as actions during wildfires or earthquakes.

The third step is assembling an Emergency Supply Kit for evacuation or sheltering in place. In addition to basic supplies like a first aid kit and flashlight with extra batteries, kits should be customized for household needs including dietary restrictions or pets' needs. A comprehensive list is included in the Disaster Plan template. The kit should be ready to grab within 15 minutes if needed.

For more information on disaster preparedness visit AlertSanDiego.org where you can register for emergency alerts sent to mobile phones or emails through AlertSanDiego app that provides urgent action messages for affected residents.