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Get Prepared

Get Ready Central Texas

 

Preparing for disasters in advance can have big impact on your safety and recovery in an emergency. You have the power to protect yourself, your loved ones, and our community. Make emergency preparedness your superpower!

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2023 Emergency Preparedness-Pop Ups

Superhero June Pop Up

2023 Emergency Preparedness Pop Up Events In Your District 

Council District 

Third Wednesdays 

Time*

Location*   

District 10   

Wednesday, January 18, 2023 

4-7 p.m. 

Howson Branch   

District 2  

Wednesday, February 15, 2023  

4-7 p.m. 

Southeast Branch   

District 8  

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 

1-4 p.m. 

Hampton Branch  

District 4  

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 

1-4 p.m. 

Little Walnut Creek  

District 5  

Wednesday, May 17, 2023 

1-4 p.m. 

Manchaca Road Branch   

District 6  

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 

4-7 p.m. 

Spicewood Springs   

District 7  

Wednesday, July 19, 2023 

4-7 p.m. 

Yarborough Branch   

District 3  

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 

1-4 p.m.

Cepeda Branch  

District 9  

Wednesday, October 18, 2023 

4-7 p.m. 

Twin Oaks Branch  

District 1  

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 

4-7 p.m. 

University Hills Branch   

*Dates and locations subject to change. Check back regularly for updates. 

Heat Preparedness

Make emergency preparedness your superpower! Plan ahead for summer heat right now and check out our Heat Preparedness tips.

Flooding Preparedness

Make emergency preparedness your superpower! Plan ahead for flooding right now and check out our Flooding Preparedness tips.

Seasonal Weather Preparedness

Severe Weather Preparedness

Make emergency preparedness your superpower! Plan ahead for Severe weather right now and check out our Severe Weather Preparedness tips. 

Winter Weather Preparedness

Make emergency preparedness your superpower! Plan ahead for cold weather right now and check out our Winter Weather Preparedness tips. 

Emergency Alerts and Language Access 

In an emergency follow austintexas.gov/alerts to get up to date emergency information in 13 languages. 

Translated Emergency Alerts 

During an emergency follow the Alerts page to get up to date information in your priority language.

ASL  |  Español  |  Tiếng Việt  |  中文 (简体)  |  中文 (繁體)  |  한국어 |  ဗမာ (မြန်မာ)  | اُردُو‎‎ | العربية  |  Français  |  हिन्दी  |  پښتو 

Find emergency supply kit instructions in your priority language.

emergency suply kit

Make a Plan

Discuss with your family how you will respond, stay informed and contact one another during emergency situations in which key services like electricity, water or first responders may not be available. Once your initial plan has been created, make it a point to discuss it at least once a year and make updates as needed. 

A family plan should include: 

  • A designated place to meet if you are separated - outside your home, or nearby.
  • A plan to contact one another if you are unable to meet or get separated during a crisis.
  • Public safety phone numbers (i.e. police, fire and hospital) for your area.
  • An out-of-area contact to communicate that you're safe and learn the status of the other family member.

To get started with your plan, click here to access a template provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Once the plan is complete, consider laminating a paper copy AND saving an electronic version to cloud drive and on your phone. That way, it's accessible in a variety of situations. 

Build A Kit

Emergency Kit

Having basic supplies on hand can make a disaster less stressful, and in some cases, make the difference between life and death. Assemble an emergency supply kit with enough supplies for everyone in your house for seven days. You don’t have to do it all at once and it doesn't have to be difficult or expensive.

Start with the basics (i.e. water, food, first aid and hygiene items,) that can fit in a backpack or other portable container. Add to it as you are able (i.e. flashlight, extra batteries, portable charge, blankets, and cash), and consider unique supplies that pertain to different seasons. Understand the unique needs of you and your family and take those into account when building your kit. 

Know Your Neighbors

Neighbors helping neighbors enhances community resilience and ensures that emergency resources will reach those in the greatest need. If you can help one of your neighbors, that could be one less emergency call that needs to be made. Reducing the strain on emergency services by helping each other can add up to make a big difference in a crisis. All this means that knowing your neighbors and identifying those who might need extra help during a disaster is critical to increasing Austin’s disaster preparedness.

You can prepare yourself and then get involved in the community to encourage disaster preparedness:

Learn CPR and basic first aid. It may save the life of your loved ones or neighbor.

Take Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.

Organize your neighborhood, homeowners’ association, apartment complex, or building to better prepare where you live for a disaster.

You are the help, until help arrives!

Five simple steps can help save a life.

  • Call 9-1-1
  • Stay safe
  • Stop the bleeding
  • Position the injured and provide comfort.

FEMA Community Tips can help guide you. 

Stay Informed

Knowing where you can get reliable information during an emergency is crucial. During a disaster unreliable websites and social media can have incorrect, out of date, or even false information. It’s important to know ahead of time where you will get critical updates about what is going on in the community.

Take the following steps now so you are better informed from reliable sources when disaster strikes:

  • Warn Central Texas: Sign up for Warn Central Texas to receive emergency alerts letting you know when you need to take immediate action to stay safe.
  • Accessible Hazard Alert System (AHAS): Sign up HERE for emergency alerts in American Sign Language, English voice, and text for people who are Deaf, Blind, hard of hearing or Deaf and Blind OR by texting AHAS to (737) 241-3710.
  • Alerts Page: follow austintexas.gov/alerts for key emergency information in real time in multiple languages. 
  • Ready Central Texas phone app: Download for iPhone or Android.
Emergency Preparedness Resources

Weather Tips from Austin Water

Austin Water urges customers to take steps now to prepare for freezing temperatures. While Austinites often enjoy mild winters, Winter Storm Uri of February 2021 demonstrated that we must prepare for more severe and prolonged freezing weather.

Power Outage Safety Tips from Austin Energy

Power outages are the result of a variety of causes — anything from traffic accidents, wildlife interference, and severe weather. They can occur on the brightest of sunny days and during our sudden, and sometimes severe, Central Texas thunderstorms.

Flood Safety Resources

Austin is in the heart of Flash Flood Alley. Use the links on this page to help protect yourself, your family and your property from floods.

Resources for Minor Home Repairs

Austinites whose homes present health or safety hazards may need financial assistance.  This program helps eligible homeowners to make critical and necessary repairs. Minor Home Repair Grants are up to $5,000 per home.

Small Business Preparedness Resources

By taking small steps to create a preparedness plan, Austin small businesses can be ready for an event that severely disrupts operations, such as extended power outages, pandemics or natural disasters. 

 

Prepairdness Guide

Neighborhood Preparedness Guide provides tips for actions you can take before, during and after an emergency. All neighborhoods, including mobile home communities, apartment complexes and high-rise buildings, are encouraged to use this guide. By working together, we can build a more resilient community.   

Use this guide to discover:

  • Ways to help you plan for hazards (flooding, winter weather, and wildfires).
  • Tools to build an emergency supply kit.
  • Resources for making an emergency plan for your family.
  • Templates for how to help your neighborhood plan for emergencies

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HSEM 2023 Emergency Preparedness Calendar

For the 2023 calendar, the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) partnered with the Travis County Office of Emergency Management (TCOEM) to engage Kindergarten through 8th graders and their families across Central Texas to share what they believed to be the most important safety information.

Each month features artwork related to emergency awareness or preparedness, as well as action items individuals and families could accomplish for the month. The calendar showcases the importance of making a plan and discussing as a family the importance of taking steps to prepare for all around emergencies.