Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. Are you ready? If not, check out these resources!
- Ready NJ (New Jersey Office of Emergency Management)
- NJ 2023 Hurricane Survival Guide [UPDATED!] [Link opens a PDF]
- Ready.gov (U.S.)
- FEMA mobile app & text messages
- Red Cross Mobile apps
- Sign up for local alerts from Nixle (text or email)
- Middlesex County Office of Emergency Management & Preparedness
- Clic aquí para Recursos en Español
- Click here to find RELATED LIBRARY MATERIALS
Disasters: Prepare Your Home & Family – General advice on how to prepare for natural disasters or other emergencies, including tips for taking care of children, people with disabilities, seniors, and pets. Disaster Preparedness Library focuses on specific types of emergencies, including chemical spills, fires, floods, flu, heat waves, poisoning, power outages, terrorism, winter storms, and more. Disaster Relief & Recovery offers guidance on what to do after floods, hurricanes, winter storms blackouts, and other disasters, including checking your home’s structure, utilities & major systems, and recovering emotionally & financially (American Red Cross). See also Natural Disasters and Severe Weather (U.S. Centers for Disease Control), National Weather Service Safety Tips, and Disasters and Emergencies (USA.gov). Getting Your Family Prepared for a Disaster offers special advice to families with children (American Academy of Pediatrics). For forms & checklists, see Make a Plan (Ready.gov). See also First Aid links. For additional safety information specific to people with disabilities, seniors, pets, and workplaces, see PREPAREDNESS FOR links, below.
Disaster-related Scams – Tips to avoid malicious cyber activity targeting disaster victims and potential donors (2019, USCert.gov). See also Dealing with Weather Emergencies (2020, Federal Trade Commission) and Disaster Relief donations, below.
Emotional Recovery from Disaster – Briefly outlines common reactions and responses to disaster, and offers advice on coping. (Updated 2023, American Psychological Association). See also Helping Children Cope With a Disaster and Parents Helping Youth Cope with Disaster [Link opens a PDF] (2013, 2017; U.S. Centers for Disease Control). SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides crisis counseling and support, by phone or text, to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. There is also a special service for hard of hearing & deaf people, and an interpretation service that connects callers with counselors in more than 150 languages (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). See also general Mental Health Resources.
Financial Preparedness: Lessons from Sandy – Recommends steps to take before disaster hits to be sure your financial accounts, medical & prescription drug information, original copies of important documents (birth certificates, wills, etc.) and other necessities are secured and accessible to you in the event of an emergency (2012, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). The Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) helps individuals and families collect and organize critical financial, medical, and household contact information. This gives you a centralized record of essential household information whenever you need it so you will be able to rebuild your life more quickly after a disaster; available in several languages and large print version (2021, FEMA). The Disasters and Financial Planning Guide includes information on filing insurance claims, applying for private or government assistance, replacing vital records, and related topics (2015, National Endowment for Financial Education, American Red Cross and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; non-profit organizations). Roadmap to Recovery™ offers tips, tools and information on insurance claims, legal matters and the rebuilding/repair process (United Policyholders). See also Dealing with Weather Emergencies (2022, Federal Trade Commission).
Flooding – How to prepare for, stay safe during, and recover from floods, including dealing with emergency disinfection of drinking water, mold, private wells & septic systems, and related subjects (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). See also Family Preparedness: Floods and Flash Floods (New Jersey Office of Emergency Management) and Floods: What You Should Know (U.S. Centers for Disease Control). FloodSmart explains the National Flood Insurance Program and your flood insurance coverage options (FEMA). The short video Flooded Cars offers tips on how to identify a flood-damaged vehicle when you shop for a car (Insurance Information Institute, Inc.).
Food Safety in an Emergency – Answers to frequently asked questions about food safety after a flood or other disaster, including a helpful “When to Save and When to Throw It Out” chart (USDA). See also Food and Water Safety During Power Outages and Floods (FDA), What’s Your Food Safety Plan for Hurricane Season?, and FoodSafety.gov.
Power Outages – Tips to help you prepare for and cope with sudden loss of power, including food & water safety, and dealing with extreme heat and cold. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control)
Protect Your Home in a FLASH – DIY Videos showing steps you can take to strengthen your home and safeguard your family from natural and manmade disasters; videos are hosted on YouTube. See Flash FAQ for additional resources. Before buying or renting a new home, see Considering climate risk in housing decisions [NEW!] (2023, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau)
Safe & Well List: Contact Loved Ones – The American Red Cross has discontinued the Safe & Well List, but can still help your family members reconnect, “whether the separation was caused by a recent emergency here at home, war or natural disaster overseas, or events as far back as the Holocaust.” For help contacting family members during or after an international crisis (war, disaster, migration or other humanitarian emergency), see Find Family Internationally After Crisis (American Red Cross) and Restoring Family Links (International Committee of the Red Cross). See also Safely sending money to loved ones in conflict areas (2022, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).
Save Your Treasures – Basic guidelines for saving family heirlooms, photos, and other keepsakes that have been damaged by water (Heritage Preservation and FEMA). See also Wet Book Rescue video (Syracuse University Libraries; hosted on YouTube).
Summer: Extreme Heat – Tips on staying cool & safe, and preventing heat-related illnesses, including advice for more vulnerable individuals, as well as pets (2020, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). See also Heat Wave Safety (American Red Cross) and Heat Safety Tips and Resources (Weather.gov). For a list of air-conditioned public spaces, call 211 or 877-652-1148 (if you are using a rotary dial phone, please dial 1-877-746-5211); see NJ211: Summer Cooling Centers for more information.
Winter Weather – Advice on protecting your health and safety in winter, including what to do if you get stranded on the road (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). See also Winter Weather Safety (National Weather Service). Winter Driving offers vehicle maintenance & driving tips and outlines laws that help keep you safe on the road in winter (State of New Jersey). See also Car Talk: Winter Driving (NPR; site includes advertisements) and AAA Winter Driving Tips. For a list of public warming centers, call 211 or 877-652-1148 (if you are using a rotary dial phone, please dial 1-877-746-5211); see NJ211: Code Blue (Warming Centers) for more information.
PREPAREDNESS FOR:
People with Disabilities and other Special Needs – People with disabilities often need additional time and assistance to prepare for a disaster. The Red Cross offers a free booklet you can download and print, (American Red Cross, Department of Homeland Security and FEMA). See also Ready.gov for Individuals with Disabilities (FEMA). Register Ready is a free and confidential program which allows residents with special needs to register with emergency response agencies, so emergency responders can better serve them in an emergency (New Jersey Office of Emergency Management). The SOUTH PLAINFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT Special Needs Registry is designed to ensure that police & other first responders have all the vital information they will need in the event of an emergency. Applications may be mailed to or dropped off at South Plainfield Police Headquarters. All forms will be sent to the South Plainfield Police Department and kept on file. Participation is voluntary, and you may opt out at any time.
Seniors – Tips for over-50 adults and their families / caregivers (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc). See also Disaster Planning For Seniors, By Seniors [Link opens a PDF] (American Red Cross), Ready.gov for Seniors (FEMA) and Safety Tips for Seniors and related links. Preparedness for Alzheimer’s Caregivers offers advice for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s, whose impairments in memory and reasoning severely limit their ability to act appropriately in crises (National Institute on Aging). Your reverse mortgage after a natural disaster [Link opens a PDF] offers advice on how you can meet your reverse mortgage obligations while recovering from a natural disaster (2019, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).
Pets – Pets can’t prepare, so you need to do it for them! This guide explains what you can do ahead of time to ensure your pets’ safety in times of emergency (Humane Society of the United States). See also Preparing your Pets for Disasters (Ready.gov), Saving the Whole Family® [Link opens a PDF] (American Veterinary Medical Association) and Pets and Disaster Safety Checklist [Link opens a PDF] (American Red Cross).
Workplace Disasters – Resources to help you prepare your business or organization for disasters, or recover from one.
If you are struck by a natural disaster, DisasterAssistance.gov is the official U.S. government website that provides information and services to access and apply for disaster assistance (including Emergency Shelter).
Find out How to access library services & resources when the South Plainfield library is closed, or when our website is down.
CHARITABLE DONATIONS
Do you want to make a donation to a disaster relief program? See Tips For Giving In Times Of Crisis (Charity Navigator), and check out our Charitable Giving Webfinder for more resources that can help you make your donations count! See also Disaster-related Scams, above. See HELPNJNOW.ORG if you are interested in volunteering or making donations for relief efforts in New Jersey.
Links updated 5/30/23.
South Plainfield Public Library 