National Preparedness Month: Make a Plan
When an emergency happens, you may not be at home, and your family may not be together. A little planning ahead can help everyone know what to do, where to go, and how to reconnect.
As part of National Preparedness Month, BCVWD is encouraging customers to take a few minutes to create or review their household emergency plan.
- Know where you will go. Identify evacuation routes from your home and neighborhood and choose more than one route when possible. Wildfires and other emergencies can cause road closures or quickly changing conditions.
- Choose meeting places. Pick a familiar location near your home as well as one outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home.
- Plan how you will communicate. Make sure everyone has important phone numbers and designate a family member or friend outside the area who can serve as a common point of contact.
- Plan for everyone. Include children, older adults, family members with medical or mobility needs, and pets in your plan.
- Don’t forget about water. Know where your home’s water shutoff valve is located and how to use it if necessary. Talk about what your household would do if an emergency temporarily affected water service or required you to leave home quickly.
And once you make your plan, practice it. A plan is most useful when everyone in your household knows it before an emergency occurs.
Preparedness doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with a conversation, write down your plan, and make sure everyone knows their role.
Visit https://bcvwd.gov for District information and resources, and visit Ready.gov for additional emergency preparedness planning resources.
Next in our National Preparedness Month series: Build a Kit, and make sure water is part of it!
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