1. Take your emergency kit.

Your emergency kit should also include your emergency plan, medications, wallet, identification, and cell phone. Make sure your pets are also included in your emergency plan by having alternative shelters in advance. This process will speed up your response time and possibly save your life.

2. Shut off water, electricity, and gas if instructed to do so.

Find the emergency shutoff for your home and gas lines well in advance of any disaster or emergency event. Most often, the water shutoff is located at both ends of the water meter. If you follow the pipe that leads inside your house, you will find the only shut-off valve for the inside of your house. If you follow the other side of the water meter, the pipe will take you away from your house. Another shutoff valve should be located there as well.

3. Notify your out of town contact and leave a note inside stating when you left and where you are going (weather permitting).

Part of your emergency plan should include having an emergency contact list in case of an emergency. This list should consist of hard copies of the phone numbers and addresses of all your emergency contacts. Be sure to call them ahead of time and let them know your location and your route of travel.

4. Close your house.

Locking your home may seem like a no-brainer, but in the rush to evacuate your home, you may forget it. You can also use your emergency plan and checklist to make sure you cover all aspects of evacuation. Having an evacuation checklist acts as an essential backup check.

5. Register with your local reception center or local emergency management organization.

Many families use their local emergency operations center as a checkpoint or assembly point for family members. When families are separated during a disaster, it is essential to have a place where you and your family can check in to make sure everyone is safe. You should be able to call your local emergency operations center and tell them you’re okay. If another family member is in another region, they can also call and register. Even if you can’t see or be with your family member, at least you’ll know they’re safe.

A more recent trend has been to use the “check in” feature within Facebook as a tool to let family members know you’re okay. While this feature is nice to have, it is still susceptible to miscommunication. It will not work if the internet and telecommunications infrastructure is damaged. For those times, contact your local emergency operations center and sign up.