Make a household plan
Supplies help you cope at home. A plan helps you find each other and know what to do if you're apart when something happens. The Government of Canada says a basic plan takes about 20 minutes, and all you need is one conversation and a sheet of paper.
Know your risks
Emergencies vary across Canada: wildfires, floods, winter storms, hurricanes, earthquakes and long power outages. Check your province or territory's emergency management website for the risks where you live, and plan for those first.
Talk it through
Sit down with everyone you live with and agree the basics. Include children in a way that suits their age. Knowing there's a plan helps them feel safe. Teach them how and when to call 911.
Ways out and places to meet
Know the safe exits from your home and the routes out of your neighbourhood. Then agree two meeting places:
- Near home, such as a neighbour's door or the end of the street, in case you have to leave the house suddenly.
- Further away, such as a friend's or relative's home, in case you can't get back to your area.
How you'll stay in touch
Phone networks can get busy or go down. Agree:
- one contact close by and one out of town, whom everyone will call to pass on messages
- to send a text, email or social media message rather than call, because these often get through when calls don't
- what you'll do if you can't reach each other, such as going to the meeting place
Write the numbers down
Phones run out of battery, so write important numbers on paper and keep copies in your kit and in each person's bag. Include family, your close-by and out-of-town contacts, your doctor, school and daycare, workplaces, insurers, and your electricity and gas companies' emergency lines, which are on your bills.
Children
Find out your children's school or daycare emergency policies and how they'll contact you. Choose someone to pick up your children if you can't, and make sure the school knows who that is.
Pets
Most evacuation shelters only accept service animals. Plan ahead for somewhere your pets can stay, such as a pet-friendly hotel, a boarding kennel, or friends or family outside your area.
Your home
Make sure everyone knows where to find the fire extinguisher, the water shut-off valve, the electrical panel and the gas valve, and where your emergency kit is kept.
People who need extra help
If anyone in your home has a disability, relies on medical equipment or needs regular medication, include them in the plan: spare medication, a written list of what they take, equipment instructions and who can help.
Documents
Keep paper and digital copies of important documents, such as IDs, health and insurance information, and a copy of your plan, in a waterproof wallet with your kit.
Practise and update
Go over the plan once a year, and whenever something changes, such as a new job, school or phone number.