Make A Plan

Emergencies happen. Be prepared for anything.

It is important to have a family emergency plan. It takes only 30 minutes to prepare one.

Your family emergency plan should include:

• Knowing where the safe exits from your home are
• Mapping different routes out of your neighbourhood
• Identifying designated meeting places to reunite with family or roommates close to your neighbourhood and then farther away
• Identifying a designated person to pick up your children if you can’t.
• Names and contact information for persons nearby and out-of-town
• How you and your family will communicate if cell phone lines are busy (texting or using out of town contacts as a central point of communication are recommended)
• Health and insurance information for you and your family
• List of places for your pet to stay
• A list of possible risks in your community
• Knowing where your fire extinguisher, water valve, electrical panel, gas valve and floor drain are located.

Commuters

If you are a commuter, please use the Commuter Emergency Plan [PDF].

Use it to create your own commuter emergency plan. It will be helpful if there are travel delays caused by:

• Severe weather events
• Power outages
• Heavy traffic

Pets

You should have a 72-hour (3 day) emergency plan for your pet. Use the Pet Emergency Kit Checklist [PDF] to create a plan.

Have your pet licensed and microchipped. This makes it easier to reunite you with your pet if you are ever separated in the event of an emergency.

Some shelters and hotels will only accept service animals. In an emergency, you may not be able to keep your pet with you.

Make a list of hotels, veterinary clinics, and animal shelters where you could bring your pet. Check with friends and family members who would be willing to care for your pet if you must evacuate your home.