Free resources for your household
The help below is free, or says plainly when it is not. Every link goes to the agency, hospital or organisation that runs it. The practice takes nothing from any of them. Start with the four at the top; the rest are grouped by the same eight areas the assessment scores.
Start here
Emergency alerts on your phone (Ready.gov)How the emergency alerts on your phone work, and the free alert apps worth adding.Your county also runs its own text alerts; its emergency management page shows how to sign up.ready.gov Family Emergency Communication Plan (Ready.gov)A fillable one-page plan: who calls whom, where you meet, the out-of-town contact.It is the page the Household Continuity Directive assumes you already have.ready.gov free (most classes)Stop the Bleed class finderFind a bleeding-control class near you; most are free and under ninety minutes.The one skill that matters in the minutes before an ambulance arrives.cms.bleedingcontrol.org Georgia Advance Directive for Health CareThe state's own form naming who speaks for you if you cannot.Without it, the hospital decides who it listens to.aging.georgia.gov
Home Hardening
Would your home slow an intruder down, or invite one in?
Free smoke alarm installation (American Red Cross)The Red Cross installs free smoke alarms and walks through a home fire escape plan; request a visit from this page.A working alarm is the cheapest fix on the whole list.redcross.org National Neighborhood WatchHow to start or join a neighborhood watch, and how to ask your local police or sheriff for a free home security check.A second set of eyes on doors, lighting and sightlines.nnw.org U.S. Fire Administration: home fire safetyPlain guidance on smoke alarms, cooking, heating and escape plans.Most home fires start in the same few places.usfa.fema.gov Georgia 811Call or click before any digging; utilities are marked at no charge.A generator pad, a fence post or a garden bed can cut a gas line.georgia811.com
Home Infrastructure & Supply Readiness
Can your household function for 30 days without utility power?
Georgia Power outage mapLive outages and restoration estimates; report an outage from the same page.Knowing the estimate decides whether you run the generator or wait.outagemap.georgiapower.com EPA: emergency disinfection of drinking waterHow to store water and make it safe when the tap is not.Three days without water is the hard limit in every plan.epa.gov CDC: Prepare Your HealthSupplies, medications and records to have on hand before an emergency.The medication list is the part most households skip.cdc.gov Ready.gov: Build a KitThe basic supply list and how to maintain it.Start here before buying anything.ready.gov
Medical Preparedness & Physical Readiness
Do you have the supplies, skills, and access to handle a medical crisis?
free (most classes)Stop the Bleed class finderFind a bleeding-control class near you; most are free and under ninety minutes.The one skill that matters in the minutes before an ambulance arrives.cms.bleedingcontrol.org classes are paidAmerican Red Cross class finderFirst Aid, CPR and AED classes by location.Classes are paid; a two-year certificate.redcross.org free (most classes)Stop the Bleed Georgia (Georgia Trauma Commission)Georgia's bleeding-control program: free classes around the state and low-cost kits.The state's own program for the skill that matters before an ambulance arrives.trauma.georgia.gov Poison Control1-800-222-1222, day and night, and an online tool for what to do.Put the number on the refrigerator today.poison.org
Family Protocols & Crisis Coordination
Does your family know exactly what to do if you can't tell them?
Family Emergency Communication Plan (Ready.gov)A fillable one-page plan: who calls whom, where you meet, the out-of-town contact.It is the page the Household Continuity Directive assumes you already have.ready.gov Ready.gov: Make a PlanThe four questions every household plan answers.Twenty minutes at the kitchen table.ready.gov Ready GeorgiaThe state's guidance for Georgia hazards, with pages for older Georgians and pets.The Georgia-specific version of the federal plan.gema.georgia.gov Eldercare LocatorThe federal line (1-800-677-1116) that connects you to local services for an older parent.For the adult child planning from a distance.eldercare.acl.gov AARP caregiving resourcesGuides for family caregivers, including the state-by-state Prepare to Care guide.The plan for a parent is part of your own household's plan.aarp.org
Mobility & Evacuation Readiness
Can you move your family to safety in under 2 hours?
Georgia 511Live road conditions, closures and the state's traffic app.The route you planned is only a route if it is open.511ga.org USGS topographic mapsFree, printable topographic maps for anywhere in the country.A paper map works when the phone does not.usgs.gov Ready Georgia: evacuationThe state's evacuation guidance and routes.Decide the destination before the day.gema.georgia.gov American Red Cross Emergency appAlerts, open shelters and plain instructions in one app.The shelter map is the reason to have it.redcross.org
Communications Independence
What happens to your communications during an infrastructure disruption?
Emergency alerts on your phone (Ready.gov)How the emergency alerts on your phone work, and the free alert apps worth adding.Your county also runs its own text alerts; its emergency management page shows how to sign up.ready.gov NOAA Weather RadioStation list and the codes that make a weather radio alert for your county only.The alert that works when the cell network does not.weather.gov NWS Peachtree CityThe forecast office for North Georgia.Bookmark it; the forecast discussion says what the headline does not.weather.gov FEMA appAlerts for up to five locations and disaster resources.Set it for your home and your parents' home.fema.gov exam fee about $15, FCC fee $35Amateur radio licence: FCC and ARRLThe Technician licence path, study materials and exam finder.The only communications tool that needs no network at all.arrl.org Find a local amateur radio club (ARRL)The national directory of clubs that run licence classes and emergency communications teams.The people who will teach you, near wherever you live.arrl.org
Financial Resilience & Legal Protection
Is your wealth accessible and protected when systems are under stress?
Georgia Advance Directive for Health CareThe state's own form naming who speaks for you if you cannot.Without it, the hospital decides who it listens to.aging.georgia.gov IRS: tax resources for disaster victims and Publication 584How to reconstruct records and claim a loss after a disaster, with the household inventory workbook.Fill in the workbook before the loss, not after.irs.gov Social Security: when someone diesWhat to report, the one-time payment and survivor benefits.The first office a widow has to call.ssa.gov Georgia Division of Aging ServicesState services for older adults and caregivers (1-866-552-4464).The front door to Georgia's aging network.aging.georgia.gov Georgia Legal AidFree legal information and help for Georgians who qualify.For the questions a family cannot afford to ask a lawyer.georgialegalaid.org
Mindset, Skills & Self-Reliance
When the plan has to run under stress, who acts, and have they ever practiced?
FEMA Independent Study: IS-909 Community PreparednessA free one-hour course on preparing your household and neighborhood, with a certificate.The same catalogue I am working through myself.training.fema.gov FEMA Independent Study catalogueTwo hundred free courses, from household preparedness to continuity planning.Pick one evening a month.training.fema.gov Until Help Arrives (FEMA)The free course on what to do in the minutes before responders reach you, online or in a room.Taught in rooms across the country by volunteers.ready.gov NWS SKYWARN storm spotter trainingFree two-hour training from the Peachtree City office.Severe weather is the hazard Georgia households actually face.weather.gov 988 Suicide and Crisis LifelineCall or text 988, any hour.A hard week is sometimes more than logistics.988lifeline.org GriefShare: find a groupChurch-hosted grief support groups in most Georgia communities, searchable by zip code.For the household after the week this practice plans for.griefshare.org
Georgia, statewide
Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security AgencyThe state's emergency management agency: preparedness guidance, current emergencies, and a locator for your county's office.The front door to Georgia's emergency system.gema.georgia.gov Georgia Department of Public Health: emergency preparednessHealth guidance for emergencies, including medications, shelters and special medical needs.The part of the plan most households skip.dph.georgia.gov American Red Cross of GeorgiaDisaster help, shelters, free smoke alarms and preparedness classes across the state.Who opens the shelters when a storm hits.redcross.org 211 (United Way)Local help by zip code: food, utilities, housing, caregiving.Dial 211.211.org Georgia Crisis and Access LineThe state's 24-hour line for mental health and substance use crises: 1-800-715-4225.Help any hour, anywhere in Georgia.dbhdd.georgia.gov
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