Preparing Makes Sense for Military Families

The Hampton Roads region is home to the world's largest military/industrial complex, which encompasses 22 military installations. As part of our nation's military, whether on active duty, reserves, civilian employee or family member, you play an important role in ensuring the welfare of our homeland. It is also important to prepare yourself and your family for all types of emergencies so you can increase your personal sense of security and peace of mind.

Each installation has a Readiness and emergency management organization that provides emergency management education materials and briefings to the military and family members. It coordinates and integrates all activities to build, sustain, and improve the installation's ability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from threatened or actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters. Every military unit on the installation has an emergency management representative assigned to ensure that military members and their family members are informed of these actions.

  Considerations for All Military Personnel and Families

• Every time you relocate, learn the types of emergencies likely to affect the area, update your emergency kit, and plan with new materials if necessary items differ at different locations. It could be a "Giant Voice" outside speaker, siren, telephone alert, or some other system or procedure.  You may not have extended family nearby, so a rendezvous point or call-in contact after an emergency may require more ingenuity. Establish an emergency plan with an out-of-town contact you can all reach. Keep in mind that one or more family members may be deployed when disaster strikes.