The 3 Days, 3 Ways Campaign serves as reminder that all residents need to be ready to take care of themselves for a minimum of three days following a disaster, by preparing in the following three ways – (1) build a kit; (2) make a plan; and (3) get involved. Each and every family must be able to meet its basic needs without assistance for a minimum of three days, sometimes longer.
Build a Kit! Make a list of everything you would need to sustain your family for a few days. What special needs does your family have? Have you accounted for all the members of your family – two and four legged? Give yourself the tools to take care of your family!
Make a Plan! Think about how your family would deal with an emergency that forces you to shelter in your home, or evacuate and relocate elsewhere. Whether you have a fire, making it impossible to move back immediately, or a winter storm forcing you to stay home for a couple of days until roads open, do you know what you would do? If something happens in the middle of a work day, do you have a plan to get your kids home from school? Is there a plan to care for an elderly parent living alone, or to ensure the safety of your family pet? Writing out a plan will ensure the best outcome possible!
Get Involved! Find ways for you and your family members to more active in the community. Whether it’s signing up for CPR and first aid classes, spreading the word about this 3 Days, 3 Ways Campaign to friends and neighbors, or joining the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) or Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) even small efforts help. We are all going to have to depend on one another!
One of the most basic ways you and your family can be ready for local disasters is by building emergency supply kits. These kits, filled with certain essential items, will give your family the ability to be self-sufficient during all types of emergency situations.
Basic Emergency Supply Kit
Every family needs to have a basic emergency supply kit filled with all of the items necessary to care for their basic needs for a minimum of three (3) days. Make building your kit a family activity and when complete make sure and store it in a place where everyone can access it. In the event that you need to evacuate, make sure your kit is also portable.
Every family is different and your kit will be too. There are, however, a few items that every kit should have:
- Water (1 gallon of water per day per person with enough for at least 3 days)
- Non-perishable food (enough for at least 3 days)
- Battery-powered radio with extra batteries
- NOAA weather radio with extra batteries
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Filter mask or cotton t-shirt to help filter the air
- Moist towelettes or hand sanitizer (alcohol based) for sanitation
- Wrench and/or pliers needed to run off utilities
- Manual can opener if kit contains canned food items
- Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Cell phone with a car or solar charger
- Family specific items (i.e. prescriptions medications, infant formula and diapers, clothing, important documents)
Remember that this list covers just the bare minimum. For a list of additional items you should consider including in your family’s emergency supply kit go to ready.gov and click on “Build a Kit.”
Emergency preparedness is crucial. Our area can be affected by multiple hazards such as severe weather, tornadoes and flooding which can create dangerous situations for those who may need some type of assistance. When creating your emergency supply kit consider adding items such as extra batteries for hearing aids, specific medicine, or any other items to meet any specific needs. Make sure that you and your family have multiple ways to receive warnings and know the safest place for shelter in your home. For more information please visit: https://www.ready.gov/individuals-access-functional-needs
Pet Kit
- Plan for your pets before it’s too late! Building a kit with food, water, extra leashes and collars, toys, and waste disposal bags can help ease any post disaster stress. For more information on building a pet preparedness kit.
Special Needs
Emergency preparedness is especially crucial for families with individuals with special needs. Our area can be affected by multiple hazards, including severe weather events like tornadoes or flooding, which can create dangerous situations for those who may need some type of assistance. When creating your emergency supply kit, consider adding items such as extra batteries for hearing aids, specific medicine or any other items you may need. Make sure that you and your family have multiple ways to receive warnings and know the safest place for shelter in your home. For more information, please click here.
Car KitEvery family should also build a car kit for everyday road emergencies, and evacuation scenarios. A basic car kit should include the following:
- Jumper Cables
- Road flares
- Food (i.e. granola bars or energy bars)
- Local maps
- Extra clothing and sturdy shoes (seasonal)
- Rain gear
- Gloves
- Blankets
- Duct tape
- Small tarp
- Basic tools and small shovel
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Filter mask or cotton t-shirt to help filter the air
- Battery-powered radio with extra batteries
- Emergency contact list
Every family needs to have a plan for dealing with local emergencies. Do you know what types of emergencies to plan for? Has your family discussed what to do if your house catches on fire or a tornado warning occurs? Take some time to learn about what emergencies you need to plan for in Mount Prospect and how to create Family Communication and Emergency Action plans. Then get your whole family involved in developing a plan to ensure you’re prepared ready for the next emergency.
Family Communication Plan
Every family’s emergency plan should start with information on communication. If your family isn’t all together when an emergency occurs how will you get in touch with each other? Do your kids have your work numbers written down somewhere and do you know the number for your child’s school? Do you have important phone numbers in one location such as you doctor, pharmacist, and insurance company? Making sure that all of this information is centralized and that every family member has access to it is a must!
Print out a Family Communication Plan template that you can use to write out your plan.
Family Emergency Action Plan
Once your communication plan is complete it’s time to develop an Emergency Action Plan. This plan should focus on two primary scenarios: (1) an emergency that requires you to stay put (called sheltering-in-place), and (2) an emergency that forces you to evacuate and relocate. You will ultimately have to decide in any emergency situation which action to take, but should always follow any official instructions from local officials and emergency responders.
Your Emergency Action Plan should account for the small and large incidents and should be written down and discussed as a family. Print out a template to create your own Family Emergency Action Plan.
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Business Preparedness
Every business needs to have an emergency plan – and practice it regularly! Your plan should address not only what to do in the midst of an emergency, but also how you plan on staying in business following a disaster.
Visit ready.gov/business for resources to help you develop an emergency plan for your business.
Get involved and you can help make a difference when it matters most! During and immediately following a local emergency first responders and other Village personnel won’t be able to provide residents with all of the services you have come to expect. For all but the most life threatening situations you may be forced, during a disaster, to rely solely on yourselves and your neighbors. So get involved! Learn how to be better prepared and, better yet, volunteer to help your community in its time of need.
Training Opportunities:
Citizen Emergency Preparedness Training
Sign up for Citizen Emergency Preparedness Training to learn the basics of emergency preparedness for you and your family. The program promotes a partnering effort between emergency responders and the citizens they serve, and classes meet once a week for seven (7) weeks. The training covers topics like basic first aid, search and rescue, severe weather, and how to build an emergency kit, to make sure you and your family are prepared for the next local disaster.
Residents that complete this course also have the option of becoming a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (see below). Classes are offered every fall so stay tuned to the website and future newsletters for dates and times.
CPR Training
Sign-up for CPR training and you could save someone’s life! The Fire Department regularly offers American Heart Association classes including Healthcare Provider, Heartsaver, and Family and Friends CPR.
To sign-up for a CPR class, contact Laurie Moran or Sarah Gonet via e-mail, or call 847/870-5660. If e-mailing your registration request, please provide the following information:
- Name
- Phone Number
- Class Date
**Group classes (tailored to the needs of your group) for both Healthcare Provider and Heartsaver are available upon request. Contact Aharon Losoff via e-mail to schedule group classes or for further questions on CPR classes.