With school starting soon, it’s a good time to make an emergency preparedness plan with your children so they know what to do if one happens while at school. Talking your plan over ahead of time with children and loved ones could make an emergency situation less stressful. But where do you start? Here are a few ideas from City of Goleta’s Emergency Services Coordinator Michael Baris.

Think of what emergencies could occur and what you would need to do in those situations. Do the kids go to different schools? How will they be picked up from school? Will their safety be your responsibility or another family member’s? Divide and conquer the things that need to be done with coordination beforehand.

Another big step will be to prepare a go bag, or a bag filled with items that can be quickly grabbed at a moment’s notice. Each member of the family – adults, kids, and pets – should all have their own go bag. Start by getting an old backpack and fill it with immediate necessities such as clothes, water, and food. Build out the bag with other items like medications, extra toilet paper, flashlights, or first aid kits. To build a complete bag, https://www.ready.gov/kit is a great website to get started.