Don’t wait for disaster to strike, talk to loved ones today about how you’ll communicate during an emergency.

PreparedBC is British Columbia's one-stop shop for disaster-readiness information with tips to help make preparing for emergencies as easy as possible.

“Is my daughter safe?” “Is my elderly mom okay?” “Phone service is down and I can’t reach my spouse. What do I do?” Not being able to communicate with family following a disaster can be extremely stressful and detract from people’s ability to respond, help others and move toward recovery.

Reduce that fear by creating an emergency communications plan and identifying the methods you’ll use to connect. For example, every-day communication devices may not work following a disaster. Go to PreparedBC’s Communicating During Disasters webpage for tips and advice that will help you stay in touch with the people you care about.

Quote:

Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness –

“One of the scariest parts of an emergency is not being able to reach the people you love. Talk to loved ones today about how you’ll communicate during an emergency and visit PreparedBC – B.C.’s one-stop shop for disaster readiness information to build your plan. It’s up to all of us, government, individuals and businesses, to make preparedness a priority.”

Stay Informed:

Contact your local government's emergency management program to find out how it will share alerts and instructions during an emergency, whether it's via social media, sirens, radio or television. The most-important thing is to seek out credible sources so you can make good decisions during a disaster.

Start by bookmarking these trusted provincial channels:

• @PreparedBC (twitter.com)  for preparedness information
• @EmergencyInfoBC (twitter.com)  for alerts
• @BCGovFireInfo (twitter.com)  for wildfire updates
• BC Forest Fire Information (facebook.com)  (Facebook)
• @DriveBC (twitter.com)  and DriveBC.ca for road conditions

Learn More:

PreparedBC: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/preparedbc

Communicating during a disaster: http://ow.ly/ZdUTA

Basic emergency kit supplies: http://ow.ly/ZbrB0

Emergency Mommy: http://ow.ly/ZbruV

Household preparedness and neighbourhood preparedness guides: http://ow.ly/ZbrIq