Immediate danger? Call 911.
A household plan should work when one adult is away, the power is off and no one can reach the group chat. Start with the people who will need the most time to move. Build the equipment around them.
Keep a paper copy by the exit and an offline copy on each phone. Fill in these fields together:
• Who is here: residents, children, guests, pets and anyone needing help
• Who does what: the person responsible for each child or pet, transport, medicines and alerts; name a backup for each
• When we leave: official evacuation instructions and any earlier household trigger, such as a transport-dependent resident needing extra time
• Where we go: an agreed nearby meeting point and an out-of-area destination, each with an alternative
• How we reconnect: one out-of-area contact and a short message format: “Who is safe; where we are; where we are going; what help is needed”
• What must travel: essential medicines, medical equipment, mobility/communication aids, phone, keys and ready-packed bag
Discuss who may collect children from school and keep the school’s release authorization current. A familiar school or club is not necessarily an open shelter. Follow the destination announced for the incident. Practice the plan at least twice a year. [H7]
Use three manageable layers: a personal grab bag, a vehicle load and home reserves. The first bag should be light enough for its user to carry or move with their mobility aid. Do a real carry test.
Personal essentials include identification and contacts; medicines and instructions; glasses and hearing-aid supplies; water and ready-to-eat food; a headlamp and backup light; charged power bank and the correct cables; first-aid supplies; hygiene items; weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes. Add child, pet, disability and dietary supplies. Store bulk water and bedding separately for transport if there is time. Keep a no-cook food option even if you own a stove.
The household reserve should support an extended disruption. Build it gradually around food your household actually eats, sanitation, lighting and safe water. Check package dates and preparation requirements. Store cooking fuel safely and follow local restrictions. Never use outdoor stoves, charcoal grills or fuel-burning camping equipment inside a home, garage or tent. [P1]
See Chapter 6, Go bags and equipment choices, for the reviewed equipment options and printable checklist. Select by function, carrying weight and tested compatibility; a product name or vendor claim is not a safety certification.
Store at least one gallon per person per day for three days; aim for two weeks where space permits. Allow extra for heat, illness and pets. Use sealed commercial water within its labeled date, or suitable food-grade containers; replace home-filled water every six months. Keep it cool and away from sunlight, fuels and chemicals. A recycling symbol alone is not enough. [H4]
Follow the water utility’s advisory. Boiling or disinfecting cannot make fuel- or chemical-contaminated water safe. Use another safe source. For a microbial hazard, clear water can be boiled for one minute, then cooled; above 6,500 feet, boil three minutes. If disinfecting instead, follow the bleach label. CDC’s fallback for unscented 5%–9% sodium-hypochlorite bleach is eight drops per gallon of clear water; double for cloudy, murky, colored or very cold water. Prefilter cloudy water, mix and wait at least 30 minutes. Do not improvise with scented or cleaner-added products. Filters vary; do not assume a bottle filter removes viruses or chemicals. [H5]
Carry a short paper contact and medication list, insurance details and essential identification copies. Keep important full records in protected digital storage with an offline backup you can actually unlock without home internet. Test access before an emergency. Avoid storing account passwords or full financial records on an unprotected USB drive. Photograph household contents before a loss; record when the inventory was last updated.
Anyone may need help, temporarily or permanently. Write down the assistance required, the person who agreed to provide it and an alternative if that person cannot come. Include accessible transport, a destination that can meet care needs and how to communicate with the resident. Ask before helping or moving someone’s equipment.
For powered medical devices, obtain the supplier’s written backup-power instructions and a clinician-approved relocation plan. Record the device, compatible power source, tested runtime, spare consumables and contact number. Do not discover at midnight that the adapter does not fit. A mobility device may need a manual alternative or a transfer plan developed with the user. Keep communication boards or instructions available without a phone. [H7, P3]
Prepare accessible alerts: flashing or vibrating alarms where needed, and AlertSanDiego’s accessible formats. Keep a medication list with current dose and allergies. Ask the pharmacist how each temperature-sensitive medicine should be stored during an outage and when replacement is needed. [H2, H8, P4]
Secure tall furniture and heavy objects; keep heavy items away from beds and exit paths. Locate utility controls before an emergency and learn when it is safe to use them. Never restore gas yourself after shutoff. [E6]
Test smoke alarms monthly and follow manufacturer instructions for batteries and replacement. Many smoke alarms need replacement at ten years; sealed-life units are replaced as units. Include carbon-monoxide alarms with backup power and follow their instructions. A phone notification is an extra layer, not a replacement for an alarm people can hear, see or feel. [H1, H2, P1]
Identify two ways out of rooms where possible and a safe outdoor meeting point for a house fire. Arrange an escape plan that fits every person’s abilities. Practice garage-door and gate manual operation safely, following the manufacturer’s instructions, before an outage. [H3, W1]
Keep your vehicle ready: enough fuel or charge for the planned trip and detours, drinking water, sturdy shoes, first aid, phone charging, flashlight and a current paper map. Use reflective triangles or battery beacons rather than incendiary flares near dry vegetation.
Try a household drill with one helper absent and the internet unavailable. Time getting people, pets and necessary equipment to the vehicle. Can the driver open the garage? Can the other adult find the medicines? Can a child identify the meeting point? Fix one obstacle immediately. The goal is an executable plan, not a heavier bag.
https://www.alertsandiego.org/en-us/preparedness/make-a-plan.html
https://www.cdc.gov/water-emergency/about/how-to-create-and-store-an-emergency-water-supply.html