Prepare in advance to cope with the loss of basic services like water, electricity and telephones.
Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood, or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services – water, gas, electricity or telephones – were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away.
Families can, and do, cope with disaster by preparing in advance and working together as a team. Knowing what to do is your best protection and your responsibility.