Get Medical Help.  If you or a loved one has been injured during the disaster seek medical attention immediately.  Call 911 or radio for help.  If local emergency assistance is unavailable (i.e. phone lines or cell towers are down), let people in the area know that you need immediate aid – there may be medical personnel or people who are trained in First Aid that can help you.  It can be helpful to know or have the following information available for rescue or medical personnel:

• social security number
• blood type
• allergies
• any current medications
• previous surgeries

Get to Safe Shelter.  Whether this disaster has just affected your home or it has been a larger-scale disaster, it’s important for both your physical and emotional health to get to a safe place.  Consider going to a neighbor’s house, a nearby school, police or fire station, hospital or public building, or emergency shelter especially if your home has sustained significant damage or is unsafe.

Get Food & Water.  Recovering from a disaster will require your full energy and attention.  To stay strong and to begin recovering you need food and water – at least two quarts of water per day for adults, more for infants and children. Seek help from emergency services (i.e. hospital, police department), neighbors or emergency relief stations established in your area.  In the home you can melt ice cubes, use water from the hot-water tank (after turning it off and letting the tank cool before draining it) and water pipes (turning on the highest faucet in the house and draining pipes from the lowest faucet) for clean water. 

Get in Touch With Loved Ones.  Contact friends and family via phone or email to let them know you are okay and to let them know what assistance you need.  If you don’t have phone or internet services, see if you can use services at public buildings (i.e. libraries) or through emergency relief stations.

Contact Local Authorities.  If your home was damaged or destroyed as the result of a criminal act, contact the police as soon as possible and do not touch anything or clean up until the police have investigated for evidence. Make note of any suspicious activity or unfamiliar cars in the area.  Cooperate fully with their investigation to resolve the situation and get your home repaired.  If personal identification or financial information has been stolen, notify your bank, credit card companies and the three major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) to alert them and help thwart anyone who may attempt to steal your identity.  Click here to learn more about identity theft and how to prevent it.

In addition to local emergency services you may be able to get assistance from The American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, The Volunteers of America, state and county offices of emergency preparedness (found in the blue pages/government section of your phone book), your local place of worship and other locally-based nonprofit and charitable organizations.