Emergency Planning

Make a Family Emergency Plan

Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.

• Identify an out-of town contact. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
• Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell phone, program that person(s) as In Case of Emergency (ICE) in your phone. If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to contact someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them as emergency contacts.
• Teach family members how to use text messaging. Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not be able to get through.
• Subscribe to Napa County's NIXLE service from their website or texting your zip code to 888777 to get text community messages and/or emergency notifications.
• Visit the Ready.gov website for more information and downloadable plans.
• Visit our Animal Shelter pages for information about ensuring your pets are disaster-ready.

Emergency Supply List

Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit:

• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Cell phone with chargers
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• First aid kit
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Local maps
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Whistle to signal for help
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

Other Items

Additional items to consider adding to an emergency supply kit:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet (visit our Animal Shelter pages for more pet preparedness information)
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper - When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children