A Guide to the Basics of
Disaster Preparedness

Helping Individuals and Communities “Get Ready”  

Retired & Senior Volunteer Program
of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois
Sponsored by Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging
  729 34th Ave.
  Rock Island , IL   61201-5950
Phone:  (309) 793-4425
Email:  rsvp@wiaaa.org  

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Increasing Our Awareness of the Need to Prepare . . . “Just in Case”

Midwesterners tend to have a heightened awareness of the need to keep an eye to the sky for severe weather. Following the tragic events of 9/11/01 , and at the urging of the President of the United States , we now have an even greater awareness of the need to prepare for possible disasters of any type – severe weather, accidents, terrorist activities.

We are hopeful that this guide will assist you in preparing for disaster of any type. In compiling this guide, we have consulted with and/or borrowed from publications of local law-enforcement and public-safety personnel, as well as local, state and national disaster-preparedness specialists (e.g., the American Red Cross, US Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Citizen Corps Councils, etc.). However, we emphasize that these are just recommendations . . . as always, in case of an actual emergency, stay tuned to the Emergency Alert System in your area and follow the directions of emergency-management authorities.  

About the RSVP Homeland Security Program

The mission of the RSVP Homeland Security Program is to encourage and assist local communities in preparing individual, family, neighborhood and workplace plans to be followed in case of disaster. We help people learn to live safer lives and to feel confident that they are as prepared as possible in case of disaster.

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program ( RSVP ) of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, sponsored by Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging (WIAAA), recruits and places volunteers age 55 and above for volunteer service in their respective communities. During the past year, more than 900 RSVP volunteers provided more than 125,000 hours of service to more than 100 community agencies or programs in their respective communities (Scott County, Iowa; Rock Island and Warren Counties , Illinois ).   RSVP is funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service , the State of Illinois , the State of Iowa , and United Way of the Quad Cities Area.

As part of its broad community-service programming, our bi-state RSVP program has a team of three part-time disaster-preparedness personnel who are working to bring the term “homeland security” to the more practical, grass-roots level in Rock Island and Warren counties in Illinois and in Scott County, Iowa.

Operating with federal, state and local funding, our program focuses on homeland security at the local level, engaging local citizens and increasing their preparedness level and their willingness to volunteer for local homeland security programs.

Promoting the Activities of Local Citizen Corps Councils

At the direction of Department of Homeland Security, Citizen Corps Councils are being developed throughout the United States to help communities focus on safe-living and disaster-preparedness activities. These are public awareness programs that bring together local community and business leaders, citizen volunteers and first responders to work collaboratively in public safety and disaster-preparedness activities. 

The mission of the Citizen Corps is to harness the power of every individual through education, training and volunteer service to make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to the threats of severe weather, crime, public health issues, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds.

The RSVP program is an active member of the three Citizen Corps Councils within its service area – Quad-Cities Area Citizen Corps Council; Scott County Citizen Corps Council/VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters); and City of Monmouth Citizen Corps Council – and encourages participation by residents in their respective Citizen Corps activities.

We encourage community members to:

Be Informed,

Be Prepared,

Take Action.

Specific Tips on Getting Organized and Being Prepared in Case of Any Type of Disaster

1. Create a Safety Plan (“Disaster Plan”) for your home, work/school/daycare, and other locations where you and/or your family might be at various times of the day and night.

2. Determine which types of disasters are most likely to happen – for example, storms, flood, hazardous materials, fire, home accidents, etc. Learn the 5 stages of the “threat conditions index”: green, low; blue, guarded; yellow, elevated; orange, high; red, severe. Learn your community’s warning system and what to do when the warning system is activated. Determine what to do in case of each type of disaster.   

3. Determine the special needs and care necessary for children, elderly, disabled and other vulnerable persons.

4. Select two “back-up” places to move if your home is uninhabitable

   1. Immediately outside your home in case of a sudden emergency (e.g., fire)  

   2. Outside your neighborhood in the event you cannot return to your home  

5. Designate an out-of-state friend or family member to be the family contact. After a disaster, it might be easier to make a long-distance call and coordinate if family members have been separated. (It’s helpful to designate someone outside your immediate calling area since this will decrease the odds that they are affected by the same situation with which you are dealing.) Make sure each member of the family carries with them the name, address, phone number, cell phone and e-mail of this designated family contact person.

6. Provide safety/shelter for your pets (be aware that animals may not be allowed at shelter locations due to health regulations, so have an alternate plan ready for pets).

7. Create “disaster survival kits” for 3 days of being confined to your home, office/school/daycare and vehicle. (See “Recommended Emergency Supplies” checklist on following page.)

8. Periodically discuss and practice the evacuation plan (at least twice a year).
   

Checklist for Getting Prepared

1. Post emergency phone numbers by the phone – fire, police, ambulance – in many areas, one call to 9-1-1 will suffice, but in some rural areas, 9-1-1 is not available.

2. Make sure each person in the househol d h as a list of emergency and special family phone numbers that he/she can keep in a billfold or purse.

3. Teach children how and when to utilize 9-1-1 or other emergency numbers. 

4. Teach each family member how and when to turn off the water, gas and electricity at the main switches.

5. Purchase a fire extinguisher (ABC type, minimum 5-lb.) and teach each family member how to use it.

6. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on each level of your home. Be sure to change batteries regularly – e.g., in Spring and Fall, when Daylight Savings Time begins or ends.

7. Conduct a “hazar d hunt” in your home.

8. Assemble a disaster supply kit and stock emergency supplies. Be prepared in case you are stranded at home, school, work, or in your vehicle.

9. Determine escape routes from your home, school or workplace.

10. Determine safe spots in your home for each type of emergency.

Recommended Emergency Supplies

1. A  3-day supply of water (one gallon per person per day)

2. Food that won’t spoil

   1. Ready-to-eat meats, fruits, vegetables

   2. Canned juices, soup

   3. High-energy food (peanut butter, jelly, granola bars, trail mix)

   4. Vitamins

   5. Special foods for infants (baby formula, etc.), elderly, people with special dietary needs

3. One change of clothing and footwear per person; blankets; sleeping bags

4. Special-needs items for elderly, disabled, infants or other vulnerable persons

5. Extra pair of eyeglasses

6. First Aid kit, including prescription medications

   1. General first-aid supplies

   2. Prescription and non-prescription drugs (antacids, anti-diarrhea, laxatives)

7. Emergency tools and materials

   1. Adjustable wrench

   2. Battery-powered radio-flashlight; extra batteries

   3. Blankets

   4. Can opener

   5. Duct tape, plastic sheeting to seal off doors and windows

   6. Fire extinguisher - ABC fire extinguisher

   7. Matches in waterproof containers

   8. Phone - cell phone and/or prepaid phone cards

   9. Phone - change for pay phone (if available and in service)

   10. Phone - hard-wired phone (“land line” not cordless) – good if electricity is not out

   11. Pliers

   12. Utility knife

   13. Whistle

8. Extra set of car keys; cash or traveler’s checks; extra set of important documents in waterproof container (driver’s license or other photo ID, passport, social security card, will, bank account and credit card information, birth certificates, homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy information)

9. Sanitation supplies

   1. Toilet paper

   2. Soap

   3. Pre-moistened towelettes

   4. Feminine hygiene supplies

   5. Personal hygiene items (toothbrushes, toothpaste)

   6. Garbage bags

   7. Bucket with lid

   8. Disinfectant

Practice and Maintain Your Plan

1. Quiz family members on the plan – the more the plan becomes “second nature” to your family, the more likely that people will react well in an emergency.

2. Conduct practice drills (at least twice a year, preferably more frequently).

3. Rotate stored water and food – water every 3 months and food every 6 months.

4. Check your fire extinguisher – get it recharged if necessary.

5. Test smoke and CO (carbon monoxide) detectors monthly.

6. Change smoke and CO detector batteries in Spring and Fall.

How Individuals and Communities Can Get Involved

There are many opportunities for community involvement:

• Participate in Neighborhood-development programs (e.g., Neighborhood Watch, Community Caring Conference, etc.) 

• Join your local Citizen Corps Council

• Take basic first-aid and CPR training classes - American Red Cross (309-743-2166)

• Take CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training – coordinated through the Quad-Cities Area Citizen Corps contact: 563-322-7363 (IA) 309-736-5680 (IL)

• Volunteer to Staff display booths, distribute preparedness information, assist with recruitment of volunteers . . . and many more activities

For additional information, contact the following RSVP Homeland Security Program staff members:

• Barbara Byrne , Warren County (IL), 309-734-5677; bbyrne@wiaaa.org

• William McKinley , Rock Island County (IL), 309-793-4425; wmckinley@wiaaa.org

• Tom Ryan , AmeriCorps, Scott County (IA), 563-441-2515 (pager; enter your phone number); 563-324-3483

• Suzanne Hartung , RSVP Director, 309-793-4425; shartung@wiaaa.org

Be Informed . . . Be Prepared . . . Take Action . . . .

As our American Red Cross Colleagues say,

Websites to Check for More Information

• www.dhs.gov
  – the Department of Homeland Security’s main Website offers information on the current threat level and travel safety

• www.ready.gov
  – the Department of Homeland Security’s “personal readiness” Website

• www.redcross.org

• www.qcredcross.org
  – Quad City Area Red Cross provides First Aid and CPR training for the public, as well as emergency services

• www.disasternews.net
  – the Disaster News Network has tips on how to plan for all types of disasters

• www.nwsnoaa.gov
  – the National Weather Service site offers valuable advice about surviving dangerous weather

• www.weather.com
  – information from the Weather Channel regarding natural disasters

• www.infolink.org
  – the United Way community services directory matching needs and resources

• www.wiaaa.org
  – the Website of Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging, including information about the RSVP program and links to other community programs and services

• www.fema.gov
  – website of the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA)

Important Phone Numbers 

• Emergency: 9-1-1

• National Poison Control Center :
  800-222-1222

• Fire (non-emergency):

• Police (non-emergency):

• Hospital (non-emergency):

• InfoLINK ( United Way community resources phone number directory): 2-1-1
  ( Iowa ); 1-888-680-4636

• American Red Cross of the Quad Cities:
  309-743-2166

• Centers for Disease Control & Prevention:
  800-311-3435

• Department of Homeland Security: 800-BE-READY
  (800-237-3239)

• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency):
  800-480-2520

• Quad-Cities Area Citizen Corps Council:
  309-736-5680 ( Rock Island County , IL )
  563-322-7363 ( Scott County , IA)

• City of Monmouth Citizen Corps Council: 
  309-734-5677

• Area Agencies on Aging:

  • Iowa :  (Scott, Clinton & Muscatine Counties )
    Generations Area Agency on Aging 
    563-324-9085

  • Illinois :  (Bureau, Henderson , Henry, Knox, LaSalle, McDonough, Mercer, Putnam, Rock Island , and Warren Counties )
    Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging 
    309-793-6800 or 800-322-1051 

Thank You,  
Vicki Coutant , Office Manager
Western Illinois Area Agency on Aging
(309) 793-6800  

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