Be Prepared

Time to Remember & Time to Prepare

Join the Monroe County Emergency Management Division in remembering disasters of the past while helping our community prepare for disasters of the future. Disasters are not limited to one specific time or place. If you've seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like ours. We've seen tornado outbreaks, river floods, flash floods, historic earthquakes, and even power outages in U.S. cities affecting millions of people for days at a time.

Preparedness Facts

• Only 57% of people report that they have readiness items set aside in their homes for use in disaster
• Just 34% of people have readiness supplies in their car
• Less than half of households have an Emergency Plan
• And yet 42% of individuals report that they would need help during a disaster

Preparedness Is Everyone's Responsibility

Police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly, such as if trees and power lines are down or if they're overwhelmed by demand from an emergency. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care. Households, businesses and organizations should prepare in the event an emergency causes you to be self-reliant for three days without utilities, electricity, or water, without access to a supermarket or local services or maybe even without response from police, fire or rescue. Take action now to make sure your family, neighborhood and community are ready for emergencies and disasters of all types (click on the underlined links for more information):

1. Put together an Emergency Supply Kit
2. Make a Family Emergency Plan
3. Be prepared to help your neighbors, especially those who are Senior Citizens or those with Special Needs
4. Don't forget to include your Pets
5. Have a business? Every Business Should Have an Emergency Plan

The more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover!