Washoe County residents should create an emergency plan

County Emergency Manager reminds residents how to prepare for an emergency.

Reno, Nevada. Sept. 12, 2016. September is National Preparedness Month and the Washoe County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is reminding residents what to do to prepare for disasters and emergencies. Each week in September, Washoe County Emergency Management is distributing personal preparedness tips to help people prepare by making emergency plans, getting involved, assembling emergency kits, and staying informed.

Preparedness Tip #2: Create a plan: Whether it’s a flood, an earthquake, a wildfire or a power outage, when any emergency threatens, there’s not a lot of time to act. Planning ahead of time will help household members take the right steps during an emergency, and in some cases, this could mean the difference between life and death.

Consider the following when making a plan:

• Involve all members of the household.
• Discuss potential emergencies, and how to respond to each emergency such as power outages.
• Draw a floor plan of your home. Mark two escape routes from each room, and practice using the routes.
• Post emergency telephone numbers near telephones.
• Teach children how and  when to call 911, police, and fire, and how to make long distance phone calls.
• Pick one out-of-state and one local friend or relative for family members to call if separated by disaster (it is often easier to call out-of-state than within the affected area).
• Pick two meeting places.     
  • A place near your home in case of a fire.
  • A place outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home after a disaster.
• Learn how to turn off the water, gas, and electricity at main switches.
• Instruct household members to turn on the radio for emergency information.
• Remind household members of where the emergency kit is stored.

For more information about making a household emergency plan, please visit: https://www.washoecounty.us/em/preparedness/MakeAPlan.php.

To access an emergency plan template visit: http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan.

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