Preparing for a Disaster in Advance Can Save Lives & Make a Big Difference in the Recovery Process 

Being ready for a disaster can make a big difference in the recovery process. Disaster readiness across the United States depends on a variety of factors, including location, socio-economic status, risk perception, experience with past disasters, and having a disability.  According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Household Preparedness Survey: 

• 59% of adults in the U.S. have pursued three or more 12 preparedness actions, such as knowing evacuation routes or signing up for alerts and warnings 
• 44% have saved for a rainy day 
• 44% of adults said they were prepared for a disaster 

Everyone should have a Disaster Plan. Where can you start?

• Two great places to start are Ready.gov and the American Red Cross. These sites give general and specific planning advice for surviving different types of disasters.
• You can start with a Disaster Plan like this one offered by the American Red Cross, which includes free disaster plan templates you can download and print to discuss with your family.
• You can also print this family emergency plan from Ready.gov.

Resources for People with Disabilities 

• This Emergency Ready Sheet by Disability Rights Texas helps people with disabilities keep important information in one place in case a disaster or emergency strikes. 
• This video by Disability Rights Texas covers what people with disabilities need to know to prepare for a disaster. Learn what to do before, during, and after a disaster. Watch the video

Taking steps to safeguard your documents before an emergency strikes can save you a lot of stress and hassle.

One of the most common issues survivors face after a disaster is replacing lost or destroyed documents.

Why is it important to safeguard your documents before an emergency strikes? Legal documents such as rental agreements, ownership documents, financial records, utility bills, and personal identification documents are essential for many federal and state recovery programs. If you don't have these documents readily available, this may cause delays in obtaining assistance. 

What should you do to safeguard your documents? 

• Take copies and keep them in multiple locations that are secure. 
• Save digital copies of your documents. 
• Use fireproof and waterproof storage containers or envelopes. 

Below are other resources you might find helpful: 

• Disaster Documents Checklist by Mid-Missouri Legal Services

• Important Legal Documents for Emergency Preparedness by Just Great Lawyers 

• The Disaster Relief Project at Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc. has great disaster preparation resources here. This page includes information on what to do before and after a natural disaster.

• The Center for Arkansas Legal Services has an excellent disaster assistance resource: How to Prepare for and Recover from a Disaster: A Self-Help Toolkit

Disaster Kit

Don't stop with a disaster plan; make sure you have a kit using this information from the American Red Cross. If you can't afford to make a complete kit, see the list here from Ready.gov, start with just a few items, and add to your kit until it's complete. 

If you have a smart phone, use it to help keep you prepared by using the following applications:

• American Red Cross

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Iowa Legal Aid - helps with all phases of disaster assistance

If you don't have a smartphone, or want to save bandwidth by using text, FEMA can provide safety tips and find open shelters here. They can also send Wireless Emergency Alerts to phones that can receive them. Click here for more information.

Disaster Preparation for Businesses 

Businesses need to prepare too and the government is here to help. Start with this emergency response plan. 

The Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (LSNTAP) has a great resource on technology and business preparation: Creating a Technology Disaster Plan. Ready.gov also provides more information on IT Disaster Recovery planning. 

Preparation for Attorneys

• Start with the ABA Committee on Disaster Response and Preparedness' page.  There you will find great resources for attorneys planning for preparedness such as Surviving a Disaster: A Lawyer's Guide to Disaster Planning. 

• Click here to see upcoming webinars, videos, and additional resources. 

Prepare for Anything and Everything 

If you make a plan and a kit, you are ready for most disasters. But for those who would like to prepare more, and more specifically, we have these offerings:

• Rebuilding After Disaster: Do You Stay or Leave? 

• 5 Landslide Prevention Tips Plus — When to Get Out by Emergency Management 

• University of Southern California - What Can Chronically Ill Patients Do to Brace for Natural Disasters?

• Center for Disease Control and Prevention - How to Prepare for Any Disaster

• Popular Mechanics tells us how to survive anything. Fires and floods are the most common disasters. More people are vulnerable to flooding than they realize it. Find out your flood risk and get more information on the National Flood Insurance Program here.

• Consumer Reports has another good general disaster preparedness article and gives ratings for many disaster related products. 

• The Center for Disease Control is there to prevent and help with health risks, whatever the cause. 

• The Earthquake Alliance tells you everything you need to know to live in "Earthquake Country," which is growing in size.

• Do you have a volcano in your backyard? We can help you with that too. Just look here, for information from the National Park Service.

• People can plan to avoid a storm surge now with help from the government.

• The Complete Guide to Flood Preparedness and Safety by National Council for Home Safety and Security

• The Ultimate Guide to Disaster Preparedness for Your Finances - Annuity.org created this comprehensive, easy-to-read guide on disaster preparedness for your finances.

Do you need disaster preparation tips in another language?  Ready.gov can help in Español, Vietnamese, Chinese and others.