When disaster strikes you will be the first to respond. The reality is that depending on the emergency it can take days for help to come, but in all cases you are there and can respond!
Take the first steps towards getting ready to take care of yourself and your family.
What Will You Need?
In extreme situations resources may not be immediately available to you. Take action today and develop an emergency kit. Most likely you have most of these items at home, find them, organize them and put them all in one place! Click here to download the Emergency Kit list.
Bottled Water
Non-perishable Food
NOAA Radio
Flashlight & Batteries
Personal Hygiene
First Aid Kit
Whistle
Manual Can Opener
Copies of Important Documents
Blanket/Towel
Change of Clothes
Durable Waterproof Container
Other kits:
Vehicle Emergency Kit
Roadside emergencies can happen at any time and under any circumstances. Keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car in case you are stranded, or that you need to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
Vehicle Emergency Kit
Roadside emergencies can happen at any time and under any circumstances. Keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car in case you are stranded, or that you need to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
- Food
- Water
- First aid supplies
- Flares
- Jumper cables
- Cell phone and charger
- Fire extinguisher
- Warning light, hazard triangle or flares
- Extra clothing, especially a blanket, hat and jacket in the winter
- Auto-club card or roadside-assistance number (if you belong to an auto club or roadside-assistance program)
- $20 in small bills and change
- Pen and pad of paper
- Jack and lug wrench, in case of a flat tire
- Weather-proof flashlight
- Gloves, hand cleaner and clean rags
- Tire gauge
- Help sign
- Windshield scraper
- Bag of cat litter (even if you don’t have a cat!)
Cat litter can provide traction on slick surfaces, specifically roads that are icy in the winter - Tools and supplies, such as fuses, wrenches, screwdrivers, wire cutters, a knife, and hose and repair kits can be helpful during an emergency, specifically if your car breaks down
Go Kit
A Go Kit should be easily accessible if you have to leave your home in a hurry, and each household member’s Go Kit should be packed in a sturdy, easy-to-carry container such as a backpack. Make sure it is ready to go at all times of the year and contains items suitable for the season.
A Go Kit should be easily accessible if you have to leave your home in a hurry, and each household member’s Go Kit should be packed in a sturdy, easy-to-carry container such as a backpack. Make sure it is ready to go at all times of the year and contains items suitable for the season.
- Food & Water
- Bottled water and non-perishable, ready-to-eat and lightweight foods such as energy or granola bars - Flashlight
- Hand crank model preferred or have extra batteries - Radio
- Hand crank model preferred or have extra batteries - Manual can opener if you have canned goods in your kit
- Phone
- Wireless phone, fully charged - Documents
- Copies of important documents (insurance cards, photo IDs, proof of address) in waterproof, portable container like a zip lock bag
- Emergency Card: Complete your emergency contacts card right now!
- List of local, out-of-state, family and emergency contact information - Personal hygiene items
- Soap, feminine products, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc. - Whistle
- First Aid Kit
- Cash
- An extra set of keys for your home and your car
- Matches in a water proof container
- Compact mess kits for eating and preparing meals
- Paper, pencil and tape
- Tarp, tent, or poncho for rain or inclement weather
- A recent family photo for identification
Remember to account for your family’s special needs. This might include child care items for infants, family medications, and pet supplies. Keep a list of all medications taken by your household, dosages, and information regarding your physicians in your Go Kit.
Will You Know Where To Go?
Get informed by visiting your county’s local site so that you can learn the following:
- How will local officials communicate that there is an emergency?
- Are there sirens used in your community?
- Can you sign up a phone call or emergency broadcast system?
- Do you know what action to take once those emergency officials communicate?
- If you had to evacuate your home, where would you go?
Click below for specific information pertaining to your state.
Click below for specific information pertaining to your county.
Illinois
Indiana
Wisconsin
Back to top
Where Will You Reconnect With Your Family?
Having an emergency plan in place before an emergency or disaster allows you to determine how to protect yourself and your family and how to get back in touch with your family in an emergency: floods, fire, severe storms, etc. It is important to ensure the whole family is a part of the planning process so that your plan addresses everyone’s needs. This might include your kids, elderly family members, or even neighbors. A Family Emergency Plan will help you identify what to do in different emergencies and to talk with those you love about how to get in touch with each other.
A part of developing your emergency plan is to familiarize yourself with emergency plans at places that are a part of your everyday life, such as school, work, church, or day care.
