Overwhelmed trying to cope with poor air quality and thinking about a potential wildfire-driven evacuation during a pandemic? You aren’t alone. This is new and unsettling for many of us. The PTA Emergency Preparedness Committee has put together a few resources that we hope you’ll find useful no matter what your level of preparedness is.
One-stop source for information and resource links on air quality and fire threats:
https://multco.us/air-quality-public-health-problem/september-2020-wildfire-threat-multnomah-county
5 Things You Can Do:
Stay Informed
- Sign up for emergency alerts from https://www.publicalerts.org
- Monitor air quality (app or web) https://www.iqair.com/air-quality-app
Make (or update) a Family Communication Plan
- Get your template here https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/create-your-family-emergency-communication-plan.pdf
- Share your plan with all of your emergency contacts (be sure to have at least one out-of-state contact)
“Be Ready” – Plan ahead for an evacuation
- Know where you’ll go, how to get there, and what you’ll take
In case an immediate evacuation is required remember “The Five P’s”
- People and pets
- Papers, phone numbers, checkbook, important documents
- Prescriptions, medications, eyeglasses, retainers
- Priceless items like pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
- Personal needs: cash, phones, chargers, first aid
If you can, prepare more items so you can Grab-and-Go for any kind of emergency
- Emergency Binder (important documents and papers, financial account information, photos of home/valuables, copy of family communication plan, paper maps of evacuation routes)
- here is a sample checklist: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwNKH503z8GKNldicVVqczhFOEE/view
- First Aid Kit
- 72 Hour food, clothing, and pet kits
- Kid comfort bags (stuffy, book, activity, favorite snack)