Category 1
News reporters keep talking about how there hasn’t been enough rainfall and the water levels are getting dangerously low.
What should you do
This is a drought. During a drought,
• Listen to the rules from authorities. They want to make sure there’s enough water for the things we really need.
• Take a shower, not a bath. Showers use less water.
• Don’t let the water run when you brush your teeth.
• Wait to water your garden or set the sprinkler. When the drought ends, you can use them again.
You’re at school, and all of a sudden you feel the room start to shake. A couple of things fall off your desk. What do you do?
If inside:
• DROP to the ground.
• Take COVER under a sturdy table or other heavy furniture. If there is nothing to get under, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch near an inside wall.
• HOLD ON until the shaking stops.
• STAY AWAY from windows, glass, lighting fixtures, or furniture that could fall – like bookcases.
• STAY INSIDE!
• Do not use elevators!
If outside:
• Stay there.
• Move away from buildings, streetlights, and wires.
• Stay out in the open until the shaking stops. Buildings could collapse and hurt you.
If trapped under debris:
• Cover your mouth with your shirt.
• Do not scream – you could breathe in dust.
• Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can find you.
It’s extremely hot outside, and the weather reporter says it’s a heat wave. You had plans to go play basketball with some friends. What do you do?
During a heat wave,
• Never sit in a parked car.
• Stay inside as much as possible.
• Play indoor games and sports.
• Drink lots of water. This is your body’s air conditioning!
• Wear loose-fitting clothes in light colors. Did you know dark colors absorb the sun’s rays?
• Wear a hat with a wide brim to protect your face and head.
• Spend time in places with air conditioning, like a library or movie theater
The rain is coming down hard outside and the radio is warning of flash floods. You live in a low-lying area next to a river. What do you do?
During a flash flood,
• Tell an adult that you heard a flood warning on the TV or radio.
• Listen to authorities and safety officials.
• If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground.
• Help your family move important items to an upper floor.
• Do not walk through moving water. Even 6” of water can make you fall.
• If you have to walk through water, walk where it is not moving.
You live in Florida. All of the news stations are talking about a hurricane coming to the area. What do you do?
Before the hurricane:
• Help your parents bring in outdoor items like potted plants, patio furniture, decorations, and garbage cans. They can fly in strong winds!
During the hurricane:
• Don’t open the refrigerator or freezer. In case you lose power, you want the cold air to stay in!
• Stay away from windows and glass doors. They could break, and hurt you.
• Don’t go outside when the rain or winds stop. This is the eye of the storm, or a short “rest,” and it will start again.
• If need be, stay inside a closet or a room without windows. Or lie on the floor under a table or sturdy object.
• Listen to your parents or safety authorities for important instructions.
You are hiking in the mountains. All of a sudden, you hear trees cracking. What do you do?
This could be a debris flow or landslide. During debris flow or landslide,
• Listen for unusual sounds like trees cracking or boulders knocking together. If you hear something, tell an adult immediately!
• Move away from the path of a landslide or debris flow as fast as you can.
• Avoid river valleys and low-lying areas.
• If you can’t escape, curl into a tight ball and cover your head with your hands and arms.
You try to call a friend, but your cell phone doesn’t work. When you go to the computer, the Internet isn’t working either. All of the sudden, the power starts cutting in and out. What do you do?
This could be space weather. During space weather,
• Use as little electricity as possible so power companies don’t have to impose a blackout. How? Shut off the TV, don’t turn on lights unless you have to, turn off the computer.
• Don’t use the telephone unless you have to.
You are hanging out with friends outside, and someone notices lightning. What do you do?
During a lightning storm,
• Remember the 30/30 rule! Go indoors if you see lightning and can’t count to 30 before hearing thunder. Stay inside for 30 minutes after hearing the last clap of thunder.
• Stay inside.
• Don’t use items that plug into electrical outlets. Power surges from lightning can come through the cords and be dangerous.
• Don’t wash your hands, or take a bath or shower. Faucets can conduct electricity.
• Stay away from windows and doors.
• Don’t lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls; they conduct electricity.
• Don’t touch anything metal outside – bikes, playgrounds, fences.
• Stay away from open fields, hills, or the beach.
• Don’t stand near “lightning rods” like tall trees in an open area, or a flagpole.
It’s summertime in Texas. Suddenly, you see a large, dark, low-lying cloud and hear something that sounds like a freight train. What do you do?
This is a tornado. During a tornado,
If you are in a building:
• Go to a safe room, such as a basement or cellar, or to the lowest bullding level.
• If there is no basement, go to an inside room like a closet or hallway.
• Stay away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls.
• Do not open windows.
• Put on sturdy shoes.
• Protect your head.
If you are in a trailer or mobile home:
• Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy nearby building or to a storm shelter.
If you are outside with no shelter nearby:
• If there is no car or shelter, try to find a ditch or area lower than the ground, and lie down. You are safer in a low, flat location than you are under a bridge or highway overpass.
You live near a beach in Hawaii and there have been tsunami warnings on TV. What do you do?
During a tsunami,
• Listen to evacuation orders and leave the area immediately.
• Take any pets with you.
• Move inland (away from the ocean) and toward higher ground.
• Stay away from the beach. Never go down to the water to watch a tsunami come in. If you can see the wave, you are too close to escape it.
• If the water recedes from the shoreline, or goes out to sea, in a very noticeable way, get away from the area immediately. This is nature’s warning that a tsunami is coming.
You live in Washington state near an active volcano. Emergency officials are starting to issue evacuation orders. What do you do?
During a volcanic event,
• Follow evacuation orders from emergency officials.
• Look out for mudflows. Look upstream before you cross any bridges to make sure a mudflow is not coming. If it is, do not cross the bridge — the mudflow could destroy it.
You live in an area where lots of people like to go camping. One camper didn’t take care of the campfire properly, and now a wildfire is threatening your community. What should your family do?
During a wildfire,
• Listen to emergency officials if they say to evacuate.
• Call 911. You may be the first person to have spotted it!
• Help your parents fill outdoor tubs, pools, or garbage cans with water.
• Help your parents put important papers and family photographs inside the car, inside the garage. Put your pets in the car, too, so if you need to leave immediately, everything is packed.
• Put important things that won’t be damaged by water in a pool or pond.
• Turn on all lights inside and outside the house. This will allow it to be seen in heavy smoke.
It’s wintertime, and the temperature is dangerously low. The weather report is predicting strong winds, sleet, and freezing rain later in the day. What do you do?
This is a winter storm. During a winter storm,
• Help your parents sprinkle sand on sidewalks and walkways. This helps to make them less slippery.
• Make sure you dress warm and have extra blankets!
• Bring pets inside.
• Stay inside! Sidewalks can be very slippery and you can hurt yourself if you fall.
• If you are outside helping to shovel snow, make sure you wear a hat. It helps keep you from losing body heat.
• Mittens are warmer than gloves.
• Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs from the cold air.
• Put on dry clothes as soon as you come inside.
• If you can’t feel your fingers, toes, ears, or nose, or they appear pale white, tell a grown-up immediately — you need to see a doctor.
• Tell a grown up immediately if you can’t stop shivering, have trouble remembering things, feel tired, or talk funny. You may have hypothermia, which can be very dangerous.
You accidentally left a candle burning in your house and suddenly the room is on fire. What do you do?
This is a home fire. During a home fire,
• If you hear a smoke alarm, get out fast! You may have only a few seconds to escape.
• Get low and go! Crawl under the smoke toward an exit. Heavy smoke and deadly gases collect along the ceiling.
• If smoke is blocking the door, use your second way out of the room or house.
• Feel the doorknob and door before opening it. If either is hot, leave the door closed and use the second way out.
• If you see smoke coming around the door, use the second way out.
• If you do open a door, open it slowly and be ready to shut it quickly if there’s smoke.
• Tell firefighters whether there are any pets trapped in the house. Don’t try to get them yourself!
• If your clothes catch on fire, stop-drop-and-roll! Stop, drop to the ground, and cover your face with your hands. Then roll over and over or back and forth until the fire is out.
The power just went out at your house and you’re hungry. What do you do about a snack?
This is a blackout. During a blackout,
• Don’t open the fridge or freezer! You’ll let out whatever cold air is in there and food will go bad quicker.
• Don’t eat any food that was in the refrigerator if you were without power for more than a day. Food could have spoiled and will make you sick.
• Don’t use the telephone unless you have to; text instead. You should conserve battery power and leave the phone lines open for emergency responders.
When creating a disaster plan, we discussed "Collect, Share, Practice" What does "collect" mean?
We are collecting information that we would use for a family disaster plan -
Contact information for your family
Locations that are safe
Additional info (ie: medical & schools)
Plan for if you get separated
When creating a disaster plan, we discussed "Collect, Share, Practice" What does "share" mean?
Make sure your whole family knows the disaster plan and carries appropriate information with them at all times. Printed on paper NOT in your mobile phone
When creating a disaster plan, we discussed "Collect, Share, Practice" What does "practice" mean?
Have regular household meetings to review and practice your plan
True or False AND Why?: Really great emergency food items are bottled milk, string cheese, bagged broccoli, and bananas.
False! Though some of these items may be really good for you they are perishable and will not last.
True or False AND Why? If you are separated from your family in an emergency, you should go with anyone who offers to help you or looks like an emergency worker?
FALSE! Make sure that someone who says they were sent by your parents/guardians have a code word or that emergency workers show you official documentation.
True or False AND Why? I should always keep emergency information to myself and keep it safe, I shouldn't share important information, even with my best friend.
True! This information is for your family alone and is intended to keep YOU and THEM safe!
True or False AND Why? We should practice gathering all members of our household together in our safe-for-emergencies locations and practice texting and communication.
True! Your body has muscle memory and the more you practice, the better!
True or False AND Why? There's a flash-flood warning and our house is a low point next to a hill. In the process of getting to higher ground, I need to grab only what I can carry - like the family photo album or my disaster plan.
FALSE! You should never stop for anything in a flash flood! You should already have your disaster plan with you!
True or False AND Why? If the phone lines don't seem to be working in an emergency, I should try to send a text to let my family know I'm okay.
TRUE! Even when phone lines seem down, sometimes a text can still get through.
True or False AND Why? I should only let adults call 911 in an emergency.
FALSE: You should absolutely use 911 in a life-threatening situation! I encourage you to talk about those situations with your family. In our disaster case, if you are stuck somewhere and can't get to help, even phones that are not connected to a plan can dial 911, so never pretend-dial it.