Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency recommends a “grab and go” kit to be used in an emergency. Keep it in a central location where any member of the family can get to it. Lincoln County disaster shelters will accept pets, so prepare for them as well. Stay home if it is safe and you are prepared, but be ready to leave if you have to.
If you have to leave ...

• Water – one gallon per person per day, extra for pets and livestock
• Chlorine bleach or water purification tablets
• Nonperishable supplies of food and nonelectric can opener
• Pet needs – pet food, leashes, crates, and pet records
• Sleeping bags or warm blankets
• Season-appropriate change of clothing, including long underwear, coats, hats, scarves, and gloves
• Disposable plates, cups, and cutlery
• Baby needs – Disposable diapers, baby wipes, and liquid formula, as well as other baby needs
• Seven days' supply of medications, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and other adaptive needs, such as a wheelchair or walker, or oxygen tank
• Cell phone and laptop computer and chargers
• Personal hygiene items for everyone in the family
• Important papers and identification – photo ID, insurance paperwork, phone book with contact numbers, proof of residence
• Radio and flashlight, battery or crank, and extra batteries
• First aid supplies and manual
• Sanitation items – trash bags, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper
• Matches in waterproof container
• Paper and pencil
• Items to keep children amused, such as toys and books
• Cash – ATMs won't work for the duration of the power outage and most credit card readers won't work either. Bring your checkbook as well.

 If you can stay home ...

• All of the above, plus
• Keep your home phone line, even if you never use it, and invest in a corded phone, which doesn't need electricity to run.
• Bring your pets inside and confine livestock to their coops or sheds and keep them inside for the duration.
• Wrench to shut off utilities
• Cleanup supplies – dust mask, plastic sheeting in case you have to seal a window or hole, duct tape, scissors
• Fire extinguisher
• Camp stove and propane canisters or grill and charcoal
• Topped-up gas cans, topped-up vehicles, full kerosene or propane canisters
• Block ice for freezers and refrigerators

Planning to reunify
Disasters don't happen conveniently when everyone is at home. To reunify with family members and friends quickly, the EMA recommends:

•  Identify an out-of-town relative or friend who can act as a contact point for family members – sometimes long distance phone calls will go through while local phone service is disrupted.
•  Choose three places to meet — one outside your home, one outside your neighborhood, and one outside your town.
• Plan alternate routes to get to all these places in case roads are washed out or blocked by fallen trees.
• Practice evacuation plans.
• Stay alert to weather reports and try to get home and off the roads before conditions deteriorate.