Disaster preparedness works. It helps us protect our families and neighbors, and deal with the chaos of disaster. It also helps us mitigate disasters, which is to reduce their effects or avoid them altogether. Each family should be prepared to care for themselves for the first 72 hours following a major disaster. The College Station Emergency Management Department has a variety of educational materials available to assist in this effort.
Preparedness is everyone's job.
During the first few hours or days following a disaster, essential services may not be available. People must be ready to act on their own. Find out what types of disasters are most likely to occur in your community and how to prepare for them Contacting your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for information and guidelines is a good way to get started. Hold a family meeting. Families should get together to talk about the steps they'll take to be ready when disaster happens in their community.