Are You Ready?

An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness

Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness (IS-22) is FEMA’s most comprehensive source on individual, family, and community preparedness. The guide has been revised, updated, and enhanced in August 2004 to provide the public with the most current and up-to-date disaster preparedness information available.

Are You Ready? provides a step-by-step approach to disaster preparedness by walking the reader through how to get informed about local emergency plans, how to identify hazards that affect their local area, and how to develop and maintain an emergency communications plan and disaster supplies kit. Other topics covered include evacuation, emergency public shelters, animals in disaster, and information specific to people with disabilities.

Are You Ready? also provides in-depth information on specific hazards including what to do before, during, and after each hazard type. The following hazards are covered: Floods, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Thunderstorms and Lightning, Winter Storms and Extreme Cold, Extreme Heat, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Landslide and Debris Flows (Mudslide), Tsunamis, Fires, Wildfires, Hazardous Materials Incidents, Household Chemical Emergencies, Nuclear Power Plant, and Terrorism (including Explosion, Biological, Chemical, Nuclear, and Radiological hazards).

Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness

• Are You Ready Full Document -- 21MB

Separated by Sections

• Preface
• Why Prepare
• Basic Preparedness
• Getting Informed
• Emergency Planning and Checklists
• Assemble Disaster Supplies Kit
• Shelter
• Hazard Specific Preparedness
• Practicing and Maintaining Your Plan

• Natural Hazards
• Floods
• Tornadoes
• Hurricanes
• Thunderstorms and Lightning
• Winter Storms and Extreme Cold
• Extreme Heat
• Earthquakes
• Volcanoes
• Landslide and Debris Flow (Mudslide)
• Tsunamis
• Fires
• Wildfires

• Technological Hazards
• Hazardous Materials Incidents
• Household Chemical Emergencies
• Nuclear Power Plants

• Terrorism
• General Information about Terrorism
• Explosions
• Biological Threats
• Chemical Threats
• Nuclear Blast
• Radiological Dispersion Device (RDD)
• Homeland Security Advisory System

• Recovering from Disaster
• Appendix A: Water Conservation Tips
• Appendix B: Disaster Supplies Checklists
• Appendix C: Family Communications Plan -- 1.5MB

Some of the files are provided in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format. All PDF documents on the FEMA Web site are characterized by the following or similar graphic icon (   ). This icon is usually placed next to the document link. Download Acrobat Reader. We have provided a Word document for accessibility concerns. However if you prefer to view one of the PDFs (which is broken into sections), go to Adobe's Online Converter to obtain the document in text format.