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 The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA),
and local emergency managers, are encouraging Illinoisans to take
time to prepare for potential emergencies at homes, at work, and in
the community.
“The ongoing battle against COVID-19 underscores the importance of
building a culture of preparedness,” said IEMA Director Alicia
Tate-Nadeau. “Now is a good time to take the lessons learned from
the spring, when COVID turned our world upside down, and build an
appropriate disaster plan that meets the needs of your family.
Preparedness is more than building a kit, it’s about communication,
mitigation and education. While being prepared will not prevent a
disaster, it will provide the foundation for an expedited recovery
and instill the confidence to meet challenges when they arise.”
This month, residents are encouraged to consider COVID-19 guidelines
when evaluating and improving their family emergency plan. Some
things to consider include:
• Make a Plan for When a Disaster Strikes: Your family may
not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to know
which types of disasters (tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, ect) could
affect your area, and know how you will contact one another or
reconnect if separated. How will your family adjust its routine
should a member of your family require quarantine or isolation due
to COVID-19? Plan today for different scenarios that could impact
your work, school or family routine.
• Build a Kit: Once a disaster strikes, you will not have
time to shop or search for supplies, so it’s important to have
supplies pre-assembled. A kit should contain basic survival items
necessary during an emergency, such as food, water, weather radio,
batteries, medication, supplies for each member of your family. It
is also recommended that you include face masks, hand sanitizer and
disinfecting wipes in your emergency supply kit to address the
current COVID-19 environment. Because a disaster can strike
anywhere, Emergency kits should be kept at home, at work and in your
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• Prepare for Disasters: Practicing tornado drills and
fire drills aren’t just for school. Walking through this procedure at home with
your family, and at work with your co-workers, is a great way to prepare for a
disaster. As it pertains to COVID-19, take time now to prepare a quarantine
space in your home. Quarantine helps prevent the spread of disease if someone
has been infected with the virus without feeling symptoms. People in quarantine
should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their heath and
follow directions from their local health department. Additionally, it is
recommended that you keep a two-week supply of groceries on hand to aid in a
successful quarantine.
• Teach Youth how to Prepare for Disasters: Disaster planning, response,
and recovery efforts should take into account the unique needs of children, who
make up roughly a quarter of the U.S. population. Get kids involved in building
their own emergency kit. Make sure to include your child's favorite stuffed
animals, board games, books or music in their emergency kit to comfort them in a
disaster. Ready Kids website has a variety of tools and information that can be
incorporated into lesson planning for educators statewide.
IEMA offers disaster preparedness information on the Ready Illinois website (www.Ready.Illinois.gov),
a one-stop resource for detailed information about what to do before, during and
after disasters. During large-scale disasters, IEMA uses the Ready Illinois
website, Facebook and Twitter pages to provide critical information about the
incident, including shelter locations, road closures, safety information, photos
and more.
For more information about emergency and disaster preparedness, visit
ready.illinois.gov.
[Illinois Office of Communication and
Information]
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