Stay Or Go

Should you Stay or Go?
Develop an Evacuation Plan to use in emergency situations

Depending on your circumstances and the nature of the attack, the first important decision is whether you stay or go! You should understand the situation and develop an evacuation plan for emergency situations. Use common sense and available information, including what you are learning here, to determine if there is immediate danger.

In any emergency, local authorities may or may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should monitor TV or radio news reports for information or official instructions as they become available. If you're specifically told to evacuate or seek medical treatment, do so immediately.

Whether you are at home, work or elsewhere, there may be situations when you are not able to utilize your evacuation plan, and it's simply best to stay where you are and avoid any uncertainty outside.

There are other circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as "shelter-in-place," is a matter of survival. Use available information to assess the situation. If you see large amounts of debris in the air, or if local authorities say the air is badly contaminated, you may want to take this kind of action.

To "Shelter-in-Place:"

Bring your family and pets inside.
Lock doors, close windows, air vents and fireplace dampers.
Turn off fans, air conditioning and forced air heating systems.
Take your emergency supply kit unless you have reason to believe it has been contaminated.
Go into an interior room with few windows, if possible.
Seal all windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheeting and duct tape. Consider measuring and cutting the sheeting in advance to save time.
Be prepared to improvise and use what you have on hand to seal gaps so that you create a barrier between yourself and any contamination.
Local authorities may not immediately be able to provide information on what is happening and what you should do. However, you should watch TV, listen to the radio or check the Internet often for official news and instructions as they become available.

Getting Away

There may be conditions under which you will decide to get away, or there may be situations when you are ordered to leave. Plan how you will assemble your family and anticipate where you will go. Choose several destinations in different directions so you have options in an emergency.

If there is damage to your home or you are instructed to turn off your utilities: