Disaster can happen at any time, often with little to no warning. The mass destruction can leave you cutoff from the outside world for days. Emergency rescuers will soon be there to help following a disaster, but it may take time before they are able to get to you. You need to be prepared. Being ready for any disaster is important to surviving and recovering form a disaster.

How can I prepare?

Have an emergency plan

Make an emergency preparedness kit

Make additional considerations for people with disabilities

Power Outage?

Weather such as high winds, lightning, freezing rain, ice on power lines and snow are some of the leading causes of power outages outages.  Trees falling on a power lines can also cause power outages. If you severe storm hits, causes a power outage in your neighborhood, you should report it immediately to ComEd (800) 334-7661. If you are unable to reach ComEd, you can also report it to 311 by calling  (847) 448-4311. You are able to track companies having power outages in your area.  

Do I need to evacuate?

If you had to evacuate your home right now, would you be prepared; would you know what to do, what to take with you, where to go, who to notify?

Evacuations are more common than many people realize.  Fires and floods cause evacuations most frequently across the U.S. and almost every year, people residents are forced to evacuate because of emergencies.  In addition, hundreds of times a year, transportation and industrial accidents release harmful substances, forcing many people to leave their homes. Are you prepared to leave right now?

In some circumstances the hazards or threat may require mandatory evacuations.  In other situations, evacuations may be advised for your safety with voluntary evacuations and in certain circumstances it may be best for you to remain indoors where you are located (shelter in place).  Regardless of the type of situation, always follow instructions by public safety personnel; do not hesitate.  When voluntary evacuations are issued, it is advised that you heed the warning and take that time to evacuate.

The amount of time you have to leave will depend on the hazard.  Many incidents allow no time for people to gather even the most basic necessities, which is why planning ahead is essential.

Plan how you will assemble your family and supplies and anticipate where you will go for different situations.  Choose several destinations in different directions so you have options in an emergency and know the evacuation routes to get to those destinations.  

Click to find out more about Evacuation Planning (Types of Evacuations and Reentry after an Evacuation).

Evacuacion/Plan de evacuacion (Ready.gov, Spanish version, Evacuation/Plan to Evacuate)

Travel Tips

After almost every disaster, search and rescue teams find victims who might have survived if they had known whether to stay with or leave their cars.     

Tips Drivers Should Remember in Various Types of Emergencies:

Flood:

• Get out of the car. Never attempt to drive through water on a road.
• Water can be deeper than it appears and water levels can rise quickly.
• Wade through floodwaters only if water is not flowing rapidly and only in water no higher than your knee.
• Attempt to get to higher ground.
• See Flooding Hazard page for more information.

Tornado:

• Get out of the car. A car is the least safe place to be during a tornado.
• Leave it and find shelter in a building.
• If there are no safe place structures nearby, lie flat in a ditch with your arms over your head.
• It takes only two feet of rushing water to carry away most vehicles. This includes pickups and SUV's.
• You should especially by careful while traveling by the lake as flood waters can rise quickly and often cause road closures. 

Blizzard: 

• Stay in the car.
• Avoid driving in severe winter storms. If you are caught in a storm and your car becomes immobilized, stay in the vehicle and await rescue. Do not attempt to walk from your car unless you can see a definite safe haven at a reasonable distance.
• Turn the heat on for brief periods. Leave a down-wind window open to avoid build-up of deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure your exhaust pipe is clear of snow.
• Exercise occasionally by clapping hands and moving around.
• Leave dome light on as a signal for rescuers.
• Sleep one at a time only.
• Make sure your vehicle has at least a half tank of gas at all times during cold weather.
• Ways to Prepare your vehicle before Winter Storms & Extreme Cold.

The most important advice to remember is not to panic!