What would you do in the event of a major flood, man-made disaster, power outage, toxic spill, or health-related quarantine?  Could you survive on your own for the first 72 hours after a major disaster or emergency? 

The 72 Crew Awareness and Preparedness campaign is dedicated to helping you and your family Be Prepared . . . Not Scared. Click on Get Involved to learn how your community can be 72 Crew Certified.

During a major emergency, city officials will work to provide timely, accurate information to the public. Many cities have public information procedures and/or tools in place that may be used during a major emergency or disaster.

The following list includes common methods used in various cities.  Find out which ones are applicable for your community.

Media:
City officials coordinate with all members of the media, radio and television, to deliver accurate information to the public.

Emergency Alert System (EAS):
Similar to the system used by the National Weather Services to deliver emergency weather information through television and radio channels, the some cities can send instant messages with important emergency information into the community.

911 Callback:
This system will send a recorded message to telephones in a geographically specified area or to a pre-programmed list of contacts

Emergency Warning System (EWS):
EWS an outdoor, all-hazards siren system that is used to warn the general population of a potential danger in a short amount of time and to notify them that the emergency has passed.

Emergency Information Telephone Bank:
During a response to or recovery from a widespread disaster or major emergency affecting large areas or populations, many cities have adopted an emergency information telephone bank. 

This information line is designed to provide critical event-specific information, such as closures, evacuation areas, access points, or about support services such as financial or family assistance available to victims or their relatives.

311 City Services Operators:
Some cities have 311 service.  Non-emergency telephone line operators will be provided with updated emergency event information as frequently as possible.

City and County Websites
T hese sites detail emergency planning/instructions and offer opportunities for volunteering in the preparedness effort.
 
Emergency Vehicles' Public Address Systems:
All emergency vehicles are equipped with public address systems. These can be used to make announcements to citizens.