Preparedness for Individuals & Families

If a disaster strikes you in your community, you might not have access to food, water, or electricity for several days. You may think that you will have enough time to run to the grocery store, but stores quickly sell out of important supplies following emergency warnings. Preparing emergency kits for your family is an important step in keeping them safe and healthy during a disaster. It is important to consider your family's unique needs when assembling your kit, including medical conditions and pets.

• Build a Kit- Ready.gov

• Build a Preparedness Kit- Vermont Emergency Management

• Personal Health Preparedness – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

• Disaster Preparedness for Your Pet –  Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

• Car Safety- Ready.gov

Make a plan now about how you will contact loved ones. Make sure everyone knows what the plan is.

• Family Communication Plan – ​Ready.gov

• Make a Plan- Ready.gov 

Plan for family members or neighbors who may have additional considerations related to health and mobility.

• Just In Case: An emergency readiness planning guide for people who may need extra assistance

Translated Information: There are many ways that Vermonters can get emergency warnings, updates, and safety instructions. Take steps now to make sure you’ll get the information you need when an emergency happens.

• Stay Informed – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

• Vermont Alert is the state system designed to keep Vermonters informed about emergency situations, weather alerts, road information, and other information that could affect everyday life. Users select what information they wish to receive, how they receive that information (by email, text, phone call, etc.), and to what areas the alerts pertain. VT Alert is a free service and it only takes a few minutes to create an account. Sign up for VT Alert

Every year, children and adolescents experience disasters and other traumatic events. Family, friends, and trusted adults play an essential role in helping youth cope with these experiences. Learn more about supporting youth and adolescents during and after disasters and traumatic events from the National Institute of Mental Health.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a Disaster Distress Helpline, which provides immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. The helpline is free, multilingual, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call or text the helpline at 800-985-5990 or visit the helpline website.

SAMHSA also provides the Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator, an online tool for finding mental health services in your area. Find treatment programs in your state. For additional resources, visit www.nimh.nih.gov/findhelp.

If you, your child, or someone you know is in immediate distress or is thinking about hurting themselves, dial 988 for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) or text VT to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Trained counselors are available 24/7.

If you are concerned about your or a loved one's safety or need emergency medical services, call 9-1-1.