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Preparing for Public Health Emergencies

Preparing for public health emergencies involves the whole community, including individuals, community organizations and leaders, government, and the private sector. It is important that you as an individual do your part to be better prepared to protect yourself, your family and your community.

Steps Everyone Can Take to Prepare

Protecting yourself and your family when emergencies occur requires planning ahead.

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Stay Informed and Connected

  • Register to receive free alerts through Notify NYC. Notify NYC is the City’s official source for information about emergency events and important City services.
  • Check on your neighbors who may be isolated from friends and family, especially those who are elderly, very young, or have preexisting medical conditions.
  • Use various online or in-person tools to connect with neighbors and share information:
    • Join a neighborhood Facebook group
    • Use community platforms such as Nextdoor.com to share updates and information
    • Attend local events and neighborhood meetings

Make an Emergency Plan

  • Develop an emergency plan to prepare you and your family for what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate during an emergency.

Prepare a Go Bag

A go bag is a collection of things designed to be grabbed quickly in an emergency. It is usually a bag that is sturdy and easy to carry, like a backpack or a small suitcase on wheels filled with essential items. For more information on how to customize your go bag, see NYC Emergency Management: Get Prepared.

Prepare Medications

Disasters can prevent you from getting your medications. Follow these tips to make sure you are prepared:

  1. As part of your emergency plan, you can create a personal health summary card, which includes all the necessary information about your medications and health that medical providers and others may need to help you during an emergency or evacuation.
  2. Make copies or take pictures of your prescription labels, health insurance card, and prescription cards. Keep copies of these records in your go-bag or save the pictures to your phone.
  3. Always have enough medication to last for at least seven days. Contact your pharmacy to get a refill if you have less than seven days’ worth of medication left.
    • If you get your medications through a mail-order pharmacy and you cannot get refills by mail in an emergency, take your medication label or a picture of the label to a local pharmacy; the pharmacist may be able to help you get a limited supply.
  4. If you evacuate, take all your medications with you. Pack the original, labeled medication bottles or boxes with your name printed on them in your go-bag.

Get CPR Training

CPR is lifesaving.

If you witness or encounter a person in cardiac arrest, you can maintain blood flow to their vital organs by performing chest compressions, improving the person’s chances of survival.

Equip yourself with the basic skills needed to take action in the event of a cardiac arrest emergency.

Find a course:

People with Children

Include your children in preparing for emergencies. Below are some helpful hints to get started:

  • Children should know their family name, address and phone numbers.
  • Children should know where to meet in case of an emergency.
  • Understand the emergency plans for your child’s school or day care facility.
  • Provide the facility with up-to-date contact information for how to reach you or an authorized relative/friend.
  • Create a plan with your child with NYC Emergency Management Let’s Get Ready New York! Kindergarten - 5th Graders (PDF).

Caring for Children During Emergencies

  • Be aware of children’s reaction to stressful and traumatic events, so you can recognize them. Their reactions may vary depending on their age and understanding of what happened.
  • Stay calm, as your reactions affect your children. If they see you extremely worried, it can make them feel afraid and insecure.
  • Talk to your children about what happened, answer their questions in a way that they can understand and let them express their feelings.
  • Reassure your children about their safety and that they are in no way responsible for what happened.
  • Limit their exposure to disturbing news and images by limiting the amount of television they watch.

Older Adults

Older New Yorkers may have additional challenges in an emergency. Making a plan and discussing it with your support networks may help. Below are some helpful tips to get started:

  • Create a support network with family, friends, neighbors, and/or caregivers.
  • If you receive home-based care, develop a plan with your caregivers in advance.
  • If you receive dialysis or other medical treatments, find out more about your provider’s emergency plan.
  • If you have a service animal, plan for their needs.

You can find more emergency preparedness resources for older adults at NYC Emergency Management: Get Prepared Seniors.

People with Disabilities

If you have a disability, you should have well-developed plans for how you locate, navigate and access resources for daily living. Planning ahead for a possible emergency can help you remain as independent as possible. Below are some helpful tips to get started.

  • Create a support network with family, friends, neighbors, and/or caregivers to help each other during an emergency.
    • If you receive home-based care, develop and discuss your plan with caregivers in advance.
  • If you have a service animal, plan for their needs.

Learn more about how to make a plan at NYC Emergency Management: Disabilities, Access & Functional Needs.

If you or a family member depends on life-sustaining medical equipment, have limited mobility, or receive dialysis, you should take additional measures to prepare for a coastal storm.

Pet Owners

Pets are also part of the family. Make sure that you are preparing for the needs of your pet in a disaster. The following information will help you include your pet’s needs in your family’s emergency plan.

  • Develop an emergency plan for your pet by filling out My Pet’s Emergency Plan Workbook.
  • Make sure your pet is always wearing a collar with up-to-date identification tags
    • You can purchase blank pet collar tags at most pet stores or online and write your contact information using a permanent marker or engraving service.
    • If you are going to a temporary location, add your temporary location to your pet’s collar.
  • If your pet has special medical or dietary requirements, make sure to add these items to your emergency supply kit.

Get Involved

Learn more about how you can help your neighbors and community prepare for emergencies:

  • NYC Emergency Management's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): Members support their communities by assisting with emergency education and response. NYC CERT volunteers are trained to support the efforts of New York City's first responders.
  • American Red Cross: Each year, an average of more than 9 million people gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies through American Red Cross training classes, including First Aid, AED, and CPR training. Get engaged. Get certified. Get inspired.
  • Join the NYC Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) which is a trained group of over 7,400 volunteer health professionals ready to respond to health emergencies. New members are welcome!

Additional Resources

More Information

  • Emergencies and Mental Health: Information about what you can do to cope with disasters and other stressful and traumatic events.
  • Be Ready NYC: Resources about what to do before, during, and after emergencies, including guides and educational events.
  • The Bystander Training Course: Training course about how bystanders can save lives and assist people after an emergency.