When a natural disaster strikes, you need to be prepared to evacuate immediately. Natural disasters are especially dangerous since weather conditions can change at any time. If your community is threatened by a natural disaster, you will most likely have little time to prepare yourself. In the ensuing chaos and confusion, you may not be thinking clearly about what you need to do and take with you.

In case of evacuation, below are recommended tips from the American Red Cross. Keep this Tip Sheet handy and use it to prepare in advance to ensure your family's and your home's safety as much as possible.

If you have been advised to evacuate the area, do so immediately. These warnings come from officials who know when there is imminent danger. Heed their warnings and evacuate. You cannot put a price on a life but you can always rebuild your home.

• Wear protective clothing--sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief to protect your face.
• Take emergency supplies (see list below).
• Lock your home.
• Tell someone, who does not live in the evacuated area, when you left and where you are going. Be sure to check in with them when you arrive at your destination.
• Choose a route away from hazards. Watch for changes in weather conditions.

• Pets
• Eyeglasses
• Car Keys
• Cell phone
• Change of clothes
• Prescription medications in their original bottles
• Checkbook, cash and credit cards
• Insurance documents
• Personal identification
• Social Security Card
• Proof of Residence
• Birth and Marriage Certificates
• Stocks, Bond and other negotiable certificates
• Wills, deeds, and copies of recent tax returns
• Irreplaceable photos

Keep receipts for all expenses incurred while you are evacuated. You will need them when you are working with your insurance company.

• Close windows, vents, doors, venetian blinds or non-combustible window coverings, and heavy drapes. Remove lightweight curtains.
• Shut off gas at the meter. Turn off pilot lights.
• Open fireplace damper. Close fireplace screens.
• Move furniture into the center of the home away from windows and sliding-glass doors.
• Turn on a light in each room to increase the visibility of your home in heavy smoke.

• Seal attic and ground vents with pre-cut plywood or commercial seals.
• Turn off propane tanks.
• Place patio furniture inside.
• Connect the garden hose to outside taps.

If you need to protect your home from fires:

• Set up the portable gasoline-powered pump.
• Place lawn sprinklers on the roof and near above-ground fuel tanks. Wet the roof.
• Wet or remove shrubs within 15 feet of the home.
• Gather fire tools.

When danger is close to your area, prepare an emergency supply kit. Store these supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry containers. You will be thankful in the long run.

• A three-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day) and food that won't spoil.
• One change of clothing and footwear per person and one blanket or sleeping bag per person.
• A first aid kit that includes your family's prescription medications.
• Emergency tools including a battery-powered radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries.
• An extra set of car keys and a credit card, cash, or traveler's checks.
• Sanitation supplies.
• Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members.
• An extra pair of eyeglasses.
• Keep important family documents in a waterproof container. Assemble a smaller version of your kit to keep in the trunk of your car.

If you would like more information, you can call your APS Healthcare program toll-free number . If you don't have the APS Healthcare program, check your employee benefits or with your local human services agency to see what services are available. You can also talk with someone you can trust, such as a doctor or nurse, local mental health professional or member of the clergy.

¹Adapted from the Talking About Disaster: Guide for Standard Messages. Produced by the National Disaster Education Coalition, Washington, D.C., 1999.