 Disaster preparedness refers to measures

taken to prepare for and reduce the

effects of disasters. That is, to predict
and - where possible - prevent disasters,
mitigate their impact on vulnerable
populations, and respond to and
effectively cope with their consequences,
at local, national and international levels.
 Be ready at home—Prepare, plan and
practice. It is important for individuals
and families to increase their awareness,
get educated, engage in preparedness
conversations and stay informed. Visit
ready.gov for toolkits and downloadable
emergency plans.
 Be ready at work—Does your office
have an emergency and evacuation plan?
Have you communicated it? How do you
stay in contact with local authorities to
determine what to do? Answering these
questions are detrimental to dealing with
disaster.
 Know your community’s vulnerabilities—
Understanding what types of disasters
are most likely to affect your location will
help inform your plan. Enter your zip
code to discover the potential risks you
face.
 Learn about agencies and roles—
Preparedness is a shared responsibility
among all government agencies.
 Find mitigation funding—A number of
grant programs exist to fund disaster
mitigation activities, reduce losses and
protect life and property from future
disaster damages
 Conduct a risk assessment—Conduct a
risk assessment to identify potential
hazards and consequences and follow
through with action to mitigate risks.
 Inform your plan with statistics—Did
you know that the most recurring and
expensive disaster is flooding? Reduce
disaster risks and build resilience by
understanding key data.
 Plan for all types of risks—Emergencies
are not all related to natural hazards.
Some are man-made (e.g., fires,
industrial or transport accidents, oil spills,
explosions). It is important to be
prepared for all possible risk scenarios.
 Understand continuity of operations
(COOP) —COOP describes the stability
of essential functions in a community or
business. Know what these function are,
who performs them and what they
require to operate during and after a
disaster.
 Research Non-governmental
organizations (NGOs)—NGOs are key to
every community’s preparedness,
assisting with disaster response and
recovery.