Be Prepared

There are real benefits to being prepared.

• Being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses that accompany disasters. Communities, families, and individuals should know what to do in the event of a fire and where to seek shelter during a tornado. They should be ready to evacuate their homes and take refuge in public shelters and know how to care for their basic medical needs.
• People also can reduce the impact of disasters (flood proofing, elevating a home or moving a home out of harm's way, and securing items that could shake loose in an earthquake) and sometimes avoid the danger completely.

The need to prepare is real.

• Disasters disrupt hundreds of thousands of lives every year. Each disaster has lasting effects, both to people and property.
• If a disaster occurs in your community, local government and disaster-relief organizations will try to help you, but you need to be ready as well. Local responders may not be able to reach you immediately, or they may need to focus their efforts elsewhere.
• You should know how to respond to severe weather or any disaster that could occur in your area - hurricanes, earthquakes, extreme cold, flooding, or terrorism.
• You should also be ready to be self-sufficient for at least three days. This may mean providing for your own shelter, first aid, food, water, and sanitation.

Jefferson County Homeland Security and Emergency Management works to prepare and protect the citizens of Jefferson County, including the City of Ranson, from the effects of natural and human-caused disasters by working towards the development of a Disaster Resistant Community.

For an emergency, dial 911. Click here for non-emergency contacts in Ranson and Jefferson County.

Other useful emergency preparedness links:

Government Websites:

Be Ready Campaign
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Citizen Corps
Department of Commerce
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Interior
Department of Justice
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Food and Drug Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office
The White House
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Fire Administration
U.S. Fire Administration Kids Page
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
U.S. Postal Service
USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station

Non-Government Websites:

American Red Cross
Institute for Business and Home Safety
National Fire Protection Association
National Mass Fatalities Institute
National Safety Compliance
The Middle East Seismological Forum
The Pan American Health Organization