Prepare

Every family is unique. Knowing what to do protects you and your family. As you make your plan, be sure to consider everyone’s needs.

Personal Preparedness

Houses of Worship

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Preparedness for Kids

Hazards

Personal Preparedness

Make a Plan

Make sure everyone knows important phone numbers and that children know their parents’ full names.
Keep a list of contacts somewhere everyone knows, and one in your emergency kit. Be sure to have a charger for your cell phone.
Identify a safe room in your home to ride out a storm, preferably one on an interior wall with no windows.
Determine the best escape routes from your home and find two ways to leave each room.
Decide on a meeting place outside your home, and one just outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot return to your home.
Pick a friend or family member both inside the city, and one who lives outside of the Houston area for your family to contact in case you become separated.
Make a plan about what you will do if you need to evacuate with your pets.
Keep a copy of your family emergency plan in your supply kit or another safe, waterproof place where you can access it in the event of a disaster.
Stay informed. Know where to get information on shelters and services following an emergency. Visit houstonemergency.org or call 311 to find the nearest shelter.
Remember that emergency shelters are accessible to people with disabilities, and that service animals and pets are always welcome. Please note that pets may be housed nearby, but not necessarily with the family in a shelter.
ATMs require power, and may not be available after a disaster. Plan ahead by keeping cash on hand in a safe place.
If you live or work in a high-rise building, check with building management on what to do in an emergency such as a fire.
If you live in an evacuation Zip-Zone, plan an evacuation route ahead of time.

Prepare Your Home

Install safety equipment such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Test them regularly.
Residents of the City of Houston can request a free smoke detector (Including detectors for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing by visiting the Houston Fire Department’s Get Alarmed website.
Learn basic life safety skills such as CPR, first aid, and the use of fire extinguishers.
Know how and when to turn off water and electricity at the primary connections.
Post emergency phone numbers on all home telephones, if applicable. Teach children how and when to dial 911 for fire, police, and ambulance.
Keep a list of your possessions. Keep important papers in a safe deposit box or another safe and dry location.

Practice Your Plan

Be sure to practice your plan on a regular basis so that you know what to do in an emergency. Practicing your plan also allows you to identify problems with the plan in a safe environment. Then, be sure to update your plan so it’s as good as it can be if a disaster strikes.

Conduct fire and emergency evacuation drills annually at your home and business.
Replace stored water every three months and food every six months.
Service and/or replace your fire extinguishers according to manufacturer’s instructions
Test your smoke detector once a month. Replace the batteries every six months, and replace the smoke detector after ten years.
Practice with your children so they know important phone numbers.
Visit your meeting place periodically and remind family members what to do during an emergency, so everyone is familiar.

Build & Maintain a Kit

Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for at least 72 hours. A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency. Make sure your emergency kit is customized to meet the unique needs of your family.

Following a disaster, you may need to:

Stay at home for several days with limited or no utilities, or
Evacuate with little to no notice

After assembling your kit, remember to keep it so it’s ready when needed:

Keep canned food in a cool and dry place.
Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers.
Replace expired items as needed.
Rethink your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change.

Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work, and cars.

Home: Keep this kit in a designated place and have it ready if you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all family members know where the kit is kept.

Work: Be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours. Your work kit should include food, water, and other necessities like medicines, as well as comfortable walking shoes, stored in a “Grab-and-Go” case.

Car: In case you are stranded, keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car.

The GO Bag

A Go-Bag contains the items needed to quickly evacuate your home. To assemble your go bag, store items in airtight plastic bags and put your entire disaster supplies kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as plastic bins or a duffel bag. Go-Bags should be easily portable like a backpack or suitcase on wheels. Store it somewhere you can easily get to it.

These are the recommended items to consider adding to your Go-Bag:

Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation)
Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food)
Extra set of car and house keys
External cell phone battery pack or solar charger. (Some hand-crank flashlights will also include a phone charger)
Bottled water and snacks such as energy bars or granola bars
First-aid supplies, a flashlight, and a whistle
Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (with extra batteries, if needed)
A 14-day supply of any necessary medications for each member of your family
Toiletries and personal sanitation items, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, wet cleansing wipes, tampons, and pads
Stuffed animal toys, coloring books for children. If you bring a handheld video game, bring extra batteries or charging supplies.
A waterproof document bag to include identification documents such as passports, birth certificates, etc.
A list of medications for each member of your family
Contact and meeting place information for your family
A map of the local area

Shelter in Place Kit

Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation)
Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food)
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
Flashlight
First aid kit
Extra batteries
A 14-day supply of any necessary medications for each member of your family
Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids, or laxatives
Cash and change (ATMs may not be available) Whistle (to signal for help)
Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air)
Plastic sheeting and duct tape (to shelter in place)
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for sanitation)
Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
Manual can opener (for food)
Mess kits such as paper cups, plates, and plastic utensils
Fire extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Rain gear, sturdy shoes, long pants, and gloves
Stuffed animal toys, coloring books for children. If you bring a handheld video game, bring extra batteries or charging supplies
A waterproof document bag to include identification documents such as passports, birth certificates, etc.
A list of medications for each member of your family
Contact and meeting place information for your family
A map of the local area
Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution
Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
Paper and pencil

Know Your Zone: Hurricane Evacuation

Run. Hide. Fight. (Surviving an Active Shooter Event)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Life Saving Skills Toolkit

Important Things to Know

ASPCA

American Humane

HOUSES OF WORSHIP

Safety for Your Events

Whether your organization is faith-based, non-profit, or hosts other mass gatherings, preparing your special event for emergencies is critical to the safety of your visitors. Using the guides and resources below, your team can feel confident that visitors will remain safe in the event of an unplanned incident or hazard, such as an active attack, crowd management issue, fire, or anything else.

Make a Plan:

Know Your Risk

Every facility and organization is different, and each will have different risks and threats depending on a number of factors. Risk is determined by the scope/size of the impact combined with the likelihood that the hazard will occur. The City of Houston’s Hazard Mitigation Plan identifies the following as citywide hazards:

Extreme Heat
Flood
Hurricane/Tropical Storm
Drought
Thunderstorm/Wind
Dam Failure
Expansive Soils
Tornado
Winter storm
Wildfire
Hail
Lightning

Who’s In Charge?

Any organization hosting large events should have a dedicated team focused on event security and preparedness. This
Collaborative Planning Team will make decisions on the framework, responsibilities, and schedule of preparedness
planning for the organization. Using resources like the Active Shooter, Targeted Violence, and Mass Casualty Events
training and FEMA’s Guide to Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Houses of Worship, organizations can be confident that the plans they create are suited to their needs and align with best practices across the nation. Some important items to include in your planning include:

Build a contact list for all who will
be involved in any unplanned incident, including both internal and external partners, like the Office of
Emergency Management, law enforcement and Fire/EMS.
Have an evacuation plan for each room.
Post the evacuation plan near the door, and inform each room leader of their responsibility during a
building evacuation. Examples can be found below.
Coordinate with your departments, so
each knows their responsibilities during an incident. Caretakers should know how to continue care for the
congregants, for example. Those in charge of children and youth should know how they will keep track of
their students if an evacuation or shelter-in-place is necessary.
The Coordinated Planning Team will have
a safe location away from the hazard where people can reunite. This location should:
- Include shelter from the
  elements (heat, rain, etc.)
- Have access to
  restrooms
- Be within walking distance of
  the facility

What Do We Do?

When an incident occurs, the leaders from the Collaborative Planning Team will enact plans to mitigate the impact on the visitors and the facility. This will include working with the first responders from police and fire who arrive at the scene to inform them of your previously-established plans for evacuation and/or sheltering-in-place, as appropriate.

Ensure your team has an accurate count of people in their care. Coordinate with first responders to ensure all people are accounted for.

Communicate with your visitors to share protective actions or warnings until the incident is stabilized.

How Do You Communicate?

Remember that during a large incident, many people in the location will be attempting to contact their loved ones, and the cell phone system may become overwhelmed. Ensure your organization’s staff has an alternative mode of contact, such as radios or web-based communication.

For your congregants, prepare simple, direct messages that can be relayed through audio and visual means, such as speaker systems or digital signage/projectors. These messages should call for direct action but work to avoid panic. Some examples are below:

An incident has happened near X location. We ask that all visitors evacuate to the safe location across the street. Please follow organization leaders and stay together.

There are reports of a [Hazard] near the facility. At this time, please remain in the building until the incident has resolved.

[Severe weather/thunderstorm/tornado] warning in effect at this location. Please remain inside until further notice.

How Do You Get Back to Business?

In the days that follow a significant event, operations for your organization may continue to be limited. Police, fire or other investigators may require space in or near your facility to continue their operations. Communicate with your visitors about the impact to your organization regularly.

Family Assistance Center

If an incident requires significant resources for an extended period of time, the Office of Emergency Management may coordinate with your organization and other stakeholders to establish a Family Assistance Center. This will likely be a location off-site, but near your facility, and will include representatives from government, non-profit, and other organizations who can share resources with those impacted by the hazard to begin recovery.

Become a Resource

When your plans are complete and you have identified the resources available for your community, consider collaborating with the Houston Office of Emergency Management as a volunteer organization. These groups may offer various support, to include sheltering through the American Red Cross, serving as warming or cooling centers, or serving as a community point of distribution where food, clothing, or other resources and services may be offered. Fill out our form here to begin this process and become a resource with Houston OEM.