Emergency Preparedness
Members of the Church have been counseled for many years to be prepared for adversity. Preparation, both spiritual and temporal, can dispel fear. With the guidance of Church leaders, individual members and families should prepare to be self-reliant in times of personal or widespread emergency.
Click here for more information on emergency preparedness on lds.org.
Church guidelines for use of meetinghouses as emergency shelter
Church guidelines for emergency communications
Guidelines for Disaster Cleanup and Church Volunteer Safety
LDS Self-Reliance Principles
Pets in an Emergency
Children, Elderly and Special Needs in an Emergency
Children, elderly and persons with special needs require more forethought when preparing for an emergency. Click here to learn more. Also see the Baby 72 Hour Kit, and files on preparedness for the elderly at the bottom of this page.
Additional Resources:
Home Fire Escape Planning
In the event of a home fire, every second counts. These free materials are yours to use when educating residents about the importance of home fire escape planning.
www.texasprepares.org
The Ready or Not website was set up by the state of Texas for family emergency preparedness. The site includes how to's for building an emergency kit, evacuation routes, surviving disasters, and making plans and checklists. It also has a set of excellent videos specific to disasters that might affect Texas which could be used for group preparedness meetings or sessions.
www.emergency-preparedness.org
Information and link on a variety of emergency preparedness needs!
Do 1 Thing
Being prepared for disasters and emergencies can seem like a big job. Many people don't know where to start, so they never start at all. With Do 1 Thing you can take small steps that make a big difference in an emergency.
Do 1 Thing is a 12-month program that makes it easy for you to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for emergencies or disasters.
Centers for Disease Control
Emergency Preparedness and Response section provides information on Natural Disasters & Severe Weather, Bioterrorism, Chemical Emergencies, Radiation Emergencies, Mass Casualties and more.
Center for Disease Control Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults
This portal provides links to information, tools, and resources to assist in multi-sector planning for older adults in all-hazard emergencies.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
www.ready.gov
Ready.gov is a national public service campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to get the public involved and ultimately to increase the level of basic preparedness across the nation. Ready and its Spanish language version Listo ask individuals to do three key things: (1) build an emergency supply kit, (2) make a family emergency plan and (3) be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses.
Ready.gov Pet and Animal Emergency Planning
This page explains how to make a pet and animal emergency plan. It also provides tips and planning tools on how to make a plan.
American Red Cross
Provides guidance and information for preparing yourself and your family, your home, your school, and your work place for emergencies.
Growing a Garden
Planting a garden, even a small one, allows for a greater degree of self-reliance. With the right information and a little practice, individuals and entire families can enjoy the many benefits of planting and tending a garden. This page on lds.org provides tips on how to plan a garden and container gardening.
This link provides an overview of gardening in Central Texas.
