IN A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY – DIAL 911
Sign up for Citizen Alert – all of Jackson and Josephine Counties. Emergency notification to alert residents by landline, mobile phone, text message and email about imminent threats to life and property in specific impacted areas. Create an account for each person in your household with up to five addresses you would like to receive alerts for (home, work, child’s school, etc.). You don’t have to be in the location of the emergency to receive alert.
In Ashland, also sign up for City of Ashland Specific Alerts The City of Ashland uses Nixle to alert city residents in real-time for localized emergency situations, plus relevant community advisories like power outages and significant street closures. If you have already “opted-in” to the Jackson County Citizen Alert System you will still get regional messages, but you have to sign up with Nixle for City of Ashland specific messaging. Those who live outside the Ashland City limits are welcome to sign up for Nixle, but not in place of Jackson County Citizen Alerts.
Vulnerable populations are encouraged to also sign up for alerts and register for the Disaster Registry of Josephine and Jackson Counties. Consider registering if, in a disaster, you or someone you care for would:
AT HOME
The stressful, often frightening moment of an emergency, when you have been advised to evacuate, is no time to begin to select and collect the essential documents, priceless treasures and supplies to take with you. If it isn’t already gathered in a convenient spot to grab as you walk (or run) out the door, it will be difficult if not impossible, to collect when you are under pressure.
There are plenty of guides and resources to help you and your family prepare. Links to several good ones are provided below, beginning with the Jackson County website and RVEM.org, the Rogue Valley Emergency Management website. Both offer a local, Southern Oregon perspective.
If you haven’t gathered a minimum of three days food and essential household supplies for sheltering in place at home, you can’t count on finding what you lack on store shelves once a disaster has happened. So start building that supply now.
Start small: Each time you go to the grocery store, Walmart, Costco or other stores, pick up something for your kit. Buy extra of the nonperishables you use and rotate them so they stay up to date. Make a list of the supplies you need to purchase and then break it out over several months or a year so that you have the most essential elements necessary for immediate evacuation (a ‘go bag’) or sheltering in place for three days.
The Jackson County Website Emergency Preparedness Overviewprovides a simple outline of steps you can take.
Jackson County also provides a handy list to get you started.
Get Ready Rogue’s Family Emergency Preparedness Handbook has more in-depth information. The RVEM website also connects to incident and other information.
In addition to food and water, have emergency cash, important medications, a flashlight, essential documents, phone numbers and supplies for your pets!
Make a plan and practice it with your family and friends.
IN YOUR CAR
If you’re traveling by car and are stopped for hours for a snow storm or behind a serious accident, it’s too late to pack your road survival bag.
It is a good practice to never let your gas tank get below half full. By always having at least a half full gas tank, you should be able to get at least 100 to 150 miles away without stopping if an emergency evacuation becomes necessary.
This links to a good list to help you think through what you might need. Prepare now and always carry supplies in your car.
AT WORK
What if you must shelter in place at work? Or disaster strikes while you’re at work? It could happen under many scenarios. If you don’t have supplies at your desk and your employer stocks no emergency supplies, you could spend some uncomfortable, hungry and thirsty hours.
Businesses are vulnerable to both physical impacts of disaster and the loss that occurs when customers are unable to access the business.
If your employer does not have a plan around emergencies and disasters, you could do a great service by introducing the idea.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
CDC Natural Disasters – in depth guide to citizen preparedness, hazards and staying safe
