emergency preparedness

Risk factors for residents of Montgomery County include, but are not limited to, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, chemical leaks and spills and acts of terrorism. The THE FOLLOWING STEPS will help your family be better prepared to meet the challenges you will face during an emergency whether is a personal one such as a house fire or an area-wide disaster such as a hurricane.

• Document  your house and personal belongings
• Check insurance to be sure that you are fully covered
• Learn how to protect your house
• Keep your car filled with gas
• Learn about your evacuation zone and listen carefully for watches and warnings

Include at least a three day supply of food, water and other supplies. Montgomery County is currently suggesting 5 to 7 days of food and water. Place in a covered, waterproof  container or backpack for convenience in case you must evacuate.  Store in a convenient, cool location and replace or rotate items periodically as needed.  Supplies in a basic kit might include the following:

Water (1 gallon per person per day) and Food (non-perishable)

Cash (small bills)

Manual can opener

Clothing

Flashlight, Radio, extra batteries

Cell phone w/charger (inverter or solar)

First aid kit; insect repellant; sunscreen

Personal hygiene items, bar/liquid soap

Hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol)

Daily medications, disinfectant wipes

Sleeping bag and/or bedding
Whistle
Filter mask (preferably N95), gloves
Cleaning supplies

Plastic sheeting and duct tape

Garbage bags and plastic ties

Emergency plan and contact information Important family documents

Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

Unique family needs for infants, elderly, disabled, etc. Map

Pencil, paper, maps
Pet Supplies

Whether the emergency is a personal one such as a house fire or an area-wide disaster, an emergency plan is important to help you locate family members and communicate with them.  Sit down with your family, make a plan, give each family member a copy and periodically review the plan with them. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, think about where you would go to be safe in case you need to evacuate.

              get information before, during and after the emergency

•  Local TV stations
• Local radio FM  K-STAR 99.7 FM & KTRH 740 AM (Emergency Alert System)
• Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management  http://mctxoem.org
• National Weather Service – http://www.weather.gov/
• National Hurricane Center – http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• Center for Disease Control – http://www.cdc.gov
• FEMA – http://www.fema.gov/
• Community Emergency Response Teams– http://www.fema.gov/cert
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security – http://www.dhs.gov/

• Register with ALERTMCTX (https://mctxoem.org/) to receive notification in the event of an emergency through telephone calls, text messages, and/or emails.
• Sign up with Smart 911. Go to http://www.mc911.org to learn more about ALERTMCTX and Smart 911.  
• When you receive a notification, be sure to listen carefully to the entire message and carefully follow the instructions.
• For individuals with special needs who require medical or transportation assistance during an emergency, dial 211 now to pre- register with STEAR (State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry).
• Enter ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts in your cell phone.

Find opportunities to support community preparedness. This might include becoming CERT trained and volunteering to support disaster efforts in your community, becoming part of the community planning process, joining or starting a preparedness project, or supporting major disaster response/relief efforts by donating cash or goods to meet the needs of your community during a disaster.