Personal Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Prepare Before the Emergency — Replace Panic with Confident Action

Emergencies can happen with little or no warning. A fire, severe storm, power outage, medical emergency, accident, or threatening situation can quickly become more dangerous when people do not know what to do.

Personal safety and emergency preparedness mean recognizing risks, making sensible plans, keeping essential supplies available, and responding calmly when something goes wrong. You cannot prevent every emergency, but preparation can help you protect yourself, assist others, and make better decisions under pressure.

Important: If someone is in immediate danger, seriously injured, having trouble breathing, or experiencing another life-threatening emergency, call 911 in the United States. Never put yourself in danger while trying to help someone else.

Why This Skill Matters

Emergency preparedness can help you:

Respond quickly instead of panicking.

Reduce the risk of injury or loss of life.

Communicate with family members when phone service is disrupted.

Leave an unsafe location without wasting valuable time.

Manage for several days during a power outage or disaster.

Protect children, older adults, people with disabilities, and pets.

Recognize unsafe situations and seek help before they become worse.

Feel more confident at home, at work, at school, and in public.

Being prepared does not mean living in fear. It means thinking ahead so that fear and confusion do not control your choices during an emergency.

Learn the Risks in Your Area

Consider the emergencies most likely to affect your community. These may include:

House fires

Severe thunderstorms

Hurricanes or tornadoes

Flooding

Winter storms and extreme cold

Heat emergencies

Extended power outages

Hazardous-material incidents

Medical emergencies

Violence or other public-safety threats

Learn which events require you to evacuate and which require you to remain indoors. Follow instructions from emergency officials rather than relying on rumors or social-media posts.

Practice Everyday Personal Safety

Good safety habits can prevent some emergencies and help you notice danger sooner.

Stay aware of your surroundings, especially when walking alone or using headphones.

Keep your phone charged and tell someone you trust where you are going.

Use well-lit, populated routes whenever possible.

Lock your home, vehicle, windows, and personal belongings.

Do not open the door to unexpected visitors until you verify who they are.

Avoid displaying large amounts of cash or expensive items.

Trust your instincts. If a person, place, or situation feels unsafe, leave and seek help.

Do not confront someone who may be violent or armed.

In public emergencies, move away from danger and follow law-enforcement or emergency personnel's instructions.

Never share your address, location, schedule, or travel plans publicly without considering the safety risk.

Personal safety is more important than being polite. You have the right to leave an uncomfortable situation, refuse a ride, end a conversation, or call for help.

Create an Emergency Communication Plan

Your household should discuss what to do if members are separated. Decide:

How everyone will receive emergency warnings.

Where you will meet near your home.

Where you will meet outside your neighborhood.

Who will pick up children or assist family members who need help.

How you will evacuate if your usual route is blocked.

Where pets will go.

Which out-of-area person everyone can contact.

Text messages may sometimes go through when phone calls cannot. Each person should carry a paper copy of important telephone numbers in case a phone is lost, damaged, or out of power.

Know Your Exits and Safe Locations

Identify at least two possible exits from your home when practical. Make sure doors, hallways, and windows are not blocked. Choose appropriate safe locations for different emergencies:

Fire: Leave immediately, remain outside, and call 911.

Tornado or severe wind: Move to a basement or small interior room on the lowest level, away from windows.

Flood: Move to higher ground. Never walk, swim, or drive through floodwater.

Hazardous outdoor air: Follow official shelter-in-place instructions, which may include going indoors and closing windows and doors.

Evacuation order: Leave promptly using the route recommended by local authorities.

Once you are safely outside a burning building, never return for possessions or pets. Tell firefighters if someone or an animal may still be inside.

Assemble an Emergency Supply Kit

Keep supplies in an easy-to-carry container that can be used at home or taken during an evacuation. A basic kit may include:

Water and nonperishable food

Manual can opener

Flashlights

Extra batteries

Battery-powered or hand-crank radio

First-aid supplies

Necessary medications

Phone chargers and a portable power bank

Hygiene and sanitation supplies

Face coverings and work gloves

Whistle

Emergency blanket and weather-appropriate clothing

Cash in small bills

Copies of identification, insurance information, and emergency contacts

Local maps

Supplies for infants, older adults, disabilities, or medical needs

Pet food, water, medications, leash, and carrier

Do not let cost stop you from beginning. Start with items you already own and add one or two supplies each week.

Prepare for Medical Emergencies

Learn basic first aid and CPR from a qualified organization.

Keep a stocked first-aid kit at home and in your vehicle.

Store medications in their original containers.

Keep an updated list of medications, allergies, medical conditions, and emergency contacts.

Know where fire extinguishers and automated external defibrillators are located.

Never give medication to an unconscious person.

Do not move a seriously injured person unless remaining in place creates immediate danger.

For a possible poisoning in the United States, contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If the person collapses, has a seizure, cannot breathe, or cannot be awakened, call 911 immediately.

Sign Up for Reliable Alerts

Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts enabled on your phone and sign up for local emergency notifications when available. A battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio can provide information when electricity or cellular service is unavailable.

FEMA App and Emergency Alerts Wireless Emergency Alerts NOAA Weather Radio

Your town, city, county, school, or workplace alert system

Use official government and emergency-service sources. Do not share unverified reports that could cause unnecessary fear or confusion.

Practice the Plan

A plan is only useful if people remember it. At least twice a year:

Practice leaving your home safely.

Test smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms according to the manufacturer's directions.

Review meeting locations and emergency contacts.

Check food, water, medications, batteries, and other supplies.

Update the plan when someone moves, changes schools, begins a new job, or develops new medical needs.

Make sure children know how and when to call 911.

Include pets in evacuation practice.

A Realistic Example

Jordan lives with his mother, younger sister, and dog. During a severe winter storm, the neighborhood loses electricity. Roads become dangerous, and officials ask residents to remain home.

Because the family prepared in advance, they have flashlights, batteries, blankets, bottled water, shelf-stable food, necessary medications, a charged power bank, and supplies for the dog. Their carbon-monoxide alarms have working batteries.

Jordan avoids using candles, which could cause a fire. The family does not run a generator or grill inside the home because both can produce deadly carbon monoxide. They use their battery-powered radio and phones to follow official updates.

Jordan texts the family's out-of-area contact to report that everyone is safe. When the indoor temperature begins to fall significantly, the family follows local instructions and relocates to an emergency warming center.

The Result

Preparation did not stop the power outage, but it helped the family remain calm, avoid dangerous choices, and respond before conditions became unsafe.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Assuming an emergency will never happen.

Waiting until a warning is issued to buy supplies.

Depending entirely on a cellphone.

Ignoring evacuation or shelter instructions from authorities.

Returning to an unsafe building for belongings.

Using candles when safer lighting is available.

Running generators, grills, camp stoves, or vehicles inside a home, garage, or enclosed area.

Driving through flooded roads.

Posting your exact location or personal plans publicly.

Investigating suspicious activity instead of moving away and contacting authorities.

Keeping expired food, batteries, or medication in an emergency kit.

Forgetting the needs of children, older adults, people with disabilities, or pets.

Sharing rumors or unverified emergency information.

Trying to provide medical help beyond your knowledge or training.

Risking your own safety during a rescue attempt.

Simple Safety and Preparedness Checklist

Personal Safety

I know how and when to call 911.

I stay aware of my surroundings.

I know how to leave an unsafe situation.

A trusted person knows where I am when appropriate.

My home, vehicle, and belongings are secured.

I do not publicly share information that could put me at risk.

Emergency Plan

My household has two meeting locations.

We have an out-of-area contact.

Everyone has important telephone numbers.

We know our evacuation routes.

Our plan includes children, medical needs, disabilities, and pets.

We practice and update the plan regularly.

Emergency Supplies

Water and nonperishable food

Flashlights and extra batteries

Battery-powered or hand-crank radio

First-aid kit

Medications and medical information

Phone chargers and portable power bank

Hygiene supplies and clothing

Copies of important documents

Cash and local maps

Supplies for pets or other special needs

Home Safety

Smoke alarms are installed and working.

Carbon-monoxide alarms are installed and working.

Exits are accessible.

Fire extinguishers are available and household members know how to use them safely.

Emergency numbers are easy to find.

Household members understand generator and carbon-monoxide safety.

Recommended Next Steps

Today: Save 911 and Poison Control information where household members can easily find it.

This week: Choose two meeting locations and one out-of-area contact.

This week: Turn on emergency alerts and register for your community's notification system.

This month: Assemble a basic emergency kit using supplies you already have.

Within 30 days: Take a first-aid or CPR course.

Twice a year: Practice your plan and replace expired supplies.

After major changes: Update the plan when you move, change jobs, add a pet, or experience a change in health or household membership.

Trustworthy Resources

Ready.gov — Plan Ahead for Disasters

The U.S. government's primary resource for emergency preparedness guidance.

Ready.gov — Make a Plan

Step-by-step guidance for creating a household emergency communication plan.

Ready.gov — Build a Kit

Recommended supplies for a basic emergency preparedness kit.

American Red Cross — Emergency Preparedness

Preparedness guides, first-aid resources, and disaster-specific information.

National Weather Service — Wireless Emergency Alerts

How Wireless Emergency Alerts work and how to keep them enabled.

NOAA Weather Radio

Continuous broadcasts of weather and emergency information.

Poison Control

Online guidance for possible poisoning situations. Call 1-800-222-1222 in the U.S.

Key Choice

Prepare before the emergency. A simple plan, reliable information, and a few essential supplies can help you replace panic with safe, confident action.