• APSU Guide For Preparedness - printable version. (Acrobat Reader required)
• Security Update from Chief Provost - (Acrobat Reader required)

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Preparing Your Emergency Plan

Because an emergency can occur without warning, it is recommended that you and your family act now to prepare for responses needed.

Be Aware and Observant
It is always a good idea for students and families to be aware of surroundings and to know when a situation deserves further investigation or an emergency response. The following suggestions may assist everyone in being better prepared for an emergency:

• Monitor the national, regional and local news via local and regional radio, television, or public announcement services to keep apprised of current events. These agents will become the emergency information channels.
• If you have a cellular telephone, carry it with you regularly and let significant others know how to reach you.
• Read your e-mail messages and listen to voice mail messages on a daily basis to keep apprised of emergency information, and family and acquaintance issues.
• Regularly notify others about your plans, especially if these plans are not consistent with your normal routine (e.g., when you plan to leave town, where you will be, how you can be contacted, etc.).
• Know when you are observing an activity or a person’s behavior that is suspicious or that may need further investigation. Report all such observations to Campus Police or local authorities.

Educate yourself and your family as needed

• If you have children, teach them how and when to dial 9-1-1 to get emergency assistance and how to make long-distance calls.
• If you live in an apartment or home, teach all adults how to turn off the water, gas and electricity at main switches. Do not attempt to restore gas service yourself; local gas and water departments need to do so.
• Take a Basic First Aid and CPR Class to be prepared to respond to accidents or serious illnesses.

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Create an Emergency Plan

Emergencies may strike either when you are on campus, at your home, during work hours, or while visiting others. Therefore, you should find out about plans already in place at any of these locations.

We recommend that you prepare an emergency plan with your roommates, family and friends, which you review every six months. Steps to take in creating a household (campus room, apartment, or off-campus apartment or home) emergency plan include:

• Meet with all members of your household, apartment, room or suite to discuss the dangers of possible emergency events, including fire, severe weather, hazardous spills and terrorism.
• Discuss how each of you will respond to each possible emergency.
• Discuss what to do in case of power outages or personal injuries.
• Prepare emergency escape routes from each room.
• Post emergency contact numbers near telephones, pre-program emergency numbers into phones with autodial capabilities.
• If you do not reside with your family, share contact numbers for your family members with a roommate or with another individual.
• Keep important records handy and accessible. If possible place them in a water and fireproof safe.
• Pick a friend or relative whom all roommates/suitemates, apartment members, or household residents can call, if separated. (Often, it is easier to call out-of-state during an emergency than within the affected area.)
• If you reside off campus, pick two meeting places for your household: A place near your home and a place outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home after an emergency.

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Prepare an Emergency Go Kit

Often during an emergency, electricity, water, heat, air conditioning, or telephone service may not work. Preparing an Emergency Go Kit ahead of time can save precious time in the event you must evacuate or go without electricity, heat, or water for an extended period of time. You can gather water, food, first-aid supplies, clothing, bedding, tools and other essential items to store at any time.

Suggested Contents for an Individual Emergency Kit (for students who live on or off campus, as well as for staff and faculty for campus offices)

•  Aluminum foil
• Antacid tablets
• Aspirin & non-aspirin pain relievers
• Blankets, bedding, or sleeping bags
• Cash, spare change
• Change of clothing
• Chlorine bleach
• Comfort items – books, cards, hard candy, etc.
• Contact lens supplies or glasses, if needed
• Disinfectant
• Disposable plates/utensils
• Flashlight and plenty of extra batteries.
• Food items – ready-to-eat, in sealed unbreakable containers
• Identification, credit cards and photocopies of important personal documents including insurance information
• Keys (extra keys for car, house or apartment, if possible)
• Lists - A list of family physicians, important medical information, and the style and serial numbers of any medical devices used; a list of family members and their contact information, such as phone numbers and addresses
• Maps – city and county
• Matches in weatherproof container
• Needles and thread
• Paper and pencils/pens
• Paper towels
• Personal hygiene items
• Plastic garbage bags
• Prescription drugs
• Radio, battery-powered
• Rain gear
• Soap
• Special items needed for infants or family members with disabilities.
• Sturdy shoes or boots
• Toilet paper
• Towels
• Water (1 gallon per person per day), stored in sealed, unbreakable containers.

PLUS:

• Other items to consider include: tools such as screwdrivers, cutters and scissors; duct tape; a fire extinguisher; flares; plastic storage containers; a compass.
• If you have pets, add the following: Identification collar and rabies tag; Carrier or cage and leash; Pet medications; Newspapers and plastic trash bags for handling waste; A two-week supply of food, water, and food bowls; Veterinary records.

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Protective Actions

Protective actions are steps we take to protect our family members and ourselves from harm. The two most common forms of emergency protective actions are shelter in place and evacuation. During and after an event, stay tuned to your campus or local emergency station or listen to emergency personnel to know what actions you should use.

Shelter-In-Place

Shelter-in-place involves simply staying in your room, apartment, or house, or inside any other location you might be, as to avoid harm. In the event of an emergency such as the release of a hazardous material, it is not always recommended to immediately evacuate, as leaving the area might expose you to harmful agents that have been dispersed into the air.

Evacuation

In some emergency situations you may be asked to evacuate the area where you reside, work or attend school. Evacuation routes will be clearly marked and will be announced via the campus or local media services – radio, television, campus siren public address, etc.

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After An Emergency Strikes

During and after an emergency occurs, it is important to stay calm. Even after an event, there still may be many dangers. What seems like a safe distance or location may not be. Stay tuned to your campus and/or local emergency station and follow the advice of trained professionals. Unless told to evacuate, avoid roads to allow emergency vehicles access. What you do next can save your life and the lives of others. Here are some helpful hints:

If Your Power Goes Out

• Remain calm, and assist others who may be vulnerable if exposed to extreme heat or cold.
• Locate a flashlight with batteries to use until power comes back on. Do not use candles—this can cause a fire.
• Turn off sensitive electric equipment such as computers, VCRs and televisions.
• Turn off major electric appliances that were on when the power went off. This will help to prevent power surges when electricity is restored.
• Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep cold in and heat out.
• Do not use the stove to heat your home or apartment—this can cause a fire or fatal gas leak.
• Use extreme caution when driving. If traffic signals are out, treat each signal as a stop sign—come to a complete stop at every intersection and look before you proceed.
• Do not call 9-1-1 to ask about the power outage. Listen to the news radio stations for updates.

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Technological Hazards Emergencies

If you are notified or become aware of a technological hazards emergency such as a chemical, biological, or radiological emergency as well as a fire or explosion, do not panic. The best defense from any of these emergencies is education and awareness. In the unlikely event that there is a technological emergency, knowing how to respond will greatly reduce panic and fear.

If you need to get out of the surrounding area or are directed to evacuate, do so immediately and:

• Take your Emergency Go Kit.
• Lock your room, apartment, home.
• Travel on routes specified by campus or local authorities.
• Travel with car windows up and air vents, air conditioner, and heater turned off.
• Head up-wind of the incident.

If you are sure to have time, further prepare your room, apartment, or home in the following manner:

• Close and lock windows and doors and close all vents and fireplace dampers.
• Turn off all fans and heat or air conditioning.
• Shut off water, gas and electricity before leaving.
• Post a note telling others when you left and where you are going, or contact your chosen notification person and provide the information.
• Make arrangements for your pets.

If you are instructed to stay inside and not to evacuate:

• Close and lock windows and doors.
• Turn off ventilation systems, water and gas.
• Seal gaps under doorways and windows with duct tape.
• If you suspect chemical or biological agents have entered your house, move to a safe room in the interior of the house on a higher floor, if possible. Many harmful agents that could enter a house will fall and accumulate at lower levels.
• If harmful vapors do enter the house, covering your nose and mouth with a cloth can provide minimal breathing protection.
• Stay inside until authorities say it is safe.

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Natural Hazards Emergencies

Our area is vulnerable to a variety of types of severe weather including thunderstorms, flash floods, snow and ice storms and tornadoes. Because of this, it is important for you to understand the difference between a watch and a warning for severe weather. A severe storm watch means that severe weather may develop. A severe weather warning means a storm has developed and is on its way—take cover immediately!

The safest place to ride out any storm is inside of a secure building or well built home. Even in such a building you should:

• Listen to weather updates and stay informed.
• Be ready to evacuate if necessary.
• Keep away from windows and doors.
• Have your Emergency Go Kit handy.

Lightning is produced in all thunderstorms. In general, if you are close enough to a storm to hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck. Move inside as quickly as possible.

If caught outside:

• Try to get inside a building as quickly as possible.
• If a building is not available, move into a car with windows rolled up, if possible.
• In an open area or field, move to a low area such as a ravine or valley.
• In a group of people, spread out, keeping several yards apart from each other.

Tornadoes are dangerous because of their high winds and ability to lift and move heavy objects. If you receive a tornado warning, seek shelter immediately. On the APSU Campus, the warning will come from the campus siren with instructions via the public address system associated with the siren.

If you are in a campus residence hall, apartment, or other campus building:

• Go to the lowest floor possible.
• Move to the interior section of the building, preferably a stairwell or hallway.
• If your Emergency Go Kit is handy, take it with you.
• Await further instructions from Campus Police, or other staff or faculty.

If you are in your car:

• STOP! Get out and lie flat face down in a low area.
• Cover your head and wait for the tornado to pass.
• If you have your Emergency Go Kit in the car, take it with you.

If you are home:

• Go to the basement or storm shelter.
• Or, go to rooms near the center of the house or apartment complex.
• If possible, take your Emergency Go Kit.

Flash Flooding can be very dangerous because of strong, swift currents.

• Move immediately and quickly to higher ground. The force of 6 inches of swiftly moving water can knock people off their feet!
• If flood waters rise around your car, get out and move to higher ground immediately. Cars can easily be swept away in just 2 feet of moving water!
• If your Emergency Go Kit is handy, take it with you.

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If You Need Clean Water

Flooding can cause contamination of water supplies. Bad water can contain microorganisms that cause diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, and hepatitis. If you think your water may be contaminated, you should purify it before using it. This includes water used for drinking, cooking, cleaning dishes, or bathing. The best way to purify water is to boil it.

Boiling is considered the safest method of purifying water. Bring water to a boil for 3-5 minutes, and then allow it to cool before drinking. Pouring water back and forth between two containers will improve the taste by putting oxygen back into the water.

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Emergency Food Supplies

It is possible for a healthy person to survive on half of their usual food intake for an extended period and without any food for many days. It is also important to keep in mind that you do not have to go out and buy unfamiliar foods to prepare an emergency food supply. Here are some helpful tips:

• Use canned foods, dry mixes and other staples you use everyday.
• Foods that require no refrigeration, preparation, or cooking are best.
• Make sure you have a manual can opener and disposable utensils in your emergency food supply.
• Individuals with special diets and allergies will need to be considered as well as toddlers and elderly.
• Don’t forget nonperishable foods for your pets.

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Recovering from an Emergency

Recovery continues even after you return home, as you and your family face the emotional and psychological effects of the event. Reactions vary from person to person, but may include:

• Restless sleep or nightmares.
• Anger or wanting revenge.
• Numbness to keep active, restlessness.
• Needing to talk about your experiences.
• Loss of appetite.
• Weight loss or gain.
• Headaches.
• Mood swings.

All of the above are normal reactions to stressful events, and it is important to let people react their own way. It may be helpful to:

• Talk with your family and friends about what happened and how you feel about it, and try to evaluate and plan for the chance it could happen again.
• Volunteer at a local shelter, blood bank, or food pantry to assist emergency victims.
• Spend time doing things other than watching or listening to news of the disaster.
• Consult your minister or spiritual advisor.

In particular, children may need reassurance and extra attention. It is best to encourage them to share their feelings, even if you must listen to their stories repeatedly—this is a common way for children to grasp what they’ve experienced. You may also want to share your feelings about the event with them.

Sources used to prepare this packet include the following: “Comprehensive Safety Overview" at James Madison University and “A Family Preparedness Guide” by the Government of the District of Columbia.

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