Being prepared for disasters saves you precious time when a disaster actually happens. It helps you stay calm, able to make the right decisions and take the right actions. You are more effective at getting through the disaster and quickly recovering. Being prepared can even save your life.
The disaster resiliency of our communities is directly tied to the preparedness of individuals, households and small businesses.
First response and emergency management agencies work hard to ensure that they are ready.
The county has an all hazards countywide Emergency Operations Plan that details how our agencies respond to disasters. The new 2023 County Emergency Operations Plan has been approved by the County Board and is available to public. If you have any questions or comments about the plan we would love to hear them. Please send them to [email protected] or 651-266-1020
Professional emergency resources are limited though. In the U.S., there is (on average) only one first responder for every 200 people in the community. The ability of individuals to take care of themselves as much as possible allows those limited resources to respond to those who cannot take care of themselves.
By making sure that you and your household or business are as ready as possible, you not only increase your own safety, but that of your whole community as well.
There are four main steps to disaster preparedness:
