Preparedness covers those actions that individuals, communities and businesses take in order to prepare themselves for the effects of a disaster before it happens. The more prepared we all are for disasters, the less loss of life and damage to property will occur and the quicker a community will bounce back.
Access the information and links below for the following subjects:
Individuals and families should always have a disaster kit ready in their homes and vehicles, a plan as to what to do and where to go during emergencies when they cannot use their home. If they have disabled persons, elderly, or pets, their planning should take the special needs of these into account. Using the links immediately below, you can find information on these topics.
Pets are often an overlooked factor in family emergency preparedness. Structural damage to homes as well as contaminated food and water pose great risks to a pet left alone during a disaster. This is especially true for people are unavoidably away from their homes longer than expected. Always include your pets in your emergency planning. For more information, use the links below.
Governmental agencies, schools, hospitals, and emergency response agencies must take care of themselves during an emergency, as well as perform their function of assisting their constituents. Towns should have an Emergency Operations Center (usually located in a town office) with backup power so they can function under adverse conditions. All communities should also have a designated emergency shelter with backup power and a shelter agreement with the American Red Cross. Contact the Red Cross at 802-295-3635 about your shelter needs.
Preparation involves training, and emergency responders and elected officials should be conversant with the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). These are not operational procedures at the town level, but rather organizational systems for running disaster response and recovery. Links to training on these subjects and more can be found under the Training link to the right.
Preparation also involves planning and, at the minimum, communities must have an up-to-date Basic Emergency Operations Plan (BEOP) on file with Vermont Emergency Management, and should have a designated Local Emergency Management Coordinator/Director. TRORC will assist member towns in development of a BEOP. For assistance contact Rita Seto at rseto@trorc.org.
Communities are also encouraged to adopt a Pre-disaster Mitigation Plan (for more information go to the Pre-disaster Mitigation section of this site), sound floodplain regulations, and thorough road policies to avoid preventable damage. Schools can use the model School Crisis Guide in their emergency planning efforts. All organizations should have a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) to ensure they can still perform critical tasks during and after an emergency.
Loss of a private business or non-profit due to the effects of a disaster can ruin the organization and its employees' livelihood, and, if large, cripple a local economy. Business failure due to predictable disasters can also open the company to lawsuits. The links below offer valuable information that will help for-profit and not-for-profit companies weather the strain a disaster can deliver.