Take responsibility for yourself and your family

Have your own Personal Preparedness Plan

Being prepared for emergencies is critical for the safety not only of you but for your loved ones, neighbors, the larger community, and first responders. With temperatures increasing, drought conditions worsening and winds regularly kicking up, wildfire and extended power outages are becoming more of a threat. A well-prepared resident may be able to help others reach safety rather than needing assistance or a life-saving rescue.

Here are the top three things a Marin resident can do right now to make sure you’re ready for an emergency:

1. Sign up for emergency alerts:

AlertMarin will tell you when you need to take action in an emergency. Sign up to receive alerts for addresses that are important to you, including your home, work, child’s school, or close family members.

Nixle provides informational alerts based on ZIP codes, such as for a road closure or police activity in one’s area.

2. Pack a go bag so all the necessities are on hand when it’s time to leave in a hurry. Include helpful items specific to a disaster, such as an N95 mask to aid breathing during times of heavy wildfire smoke, or extra battery back-ups to power necessary electronics.

3. Print out an evacuation checklist and evacuation map to help members of your household know what to do and where to go.

Make a plan with your household members. Talk through it and practice together.

You can get detailed information about emergency preparedness and learn more about fire-resistant landscaping and home hardening through FireSafe Marin.

Marin County has a public emergency portal where urgent information will be updated when a disaster unfolds. The site, at emergency.marincounty.org, including interactive mapping features to detail areas affected by an emergency, evacuation zones, road closures and more.

In Stinson Beach:

  • Know your SBDC Neighborhood Contacts. In a disaster connect with them to let them know your status.

  • Keep their phone numbers handy.

  • Check your own safety and that of your family.

  • You can volunteer to help others through your SBDC Area Lead.