An Annapolis Family Guide to Emergency Preparedness

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month. Thinking about planning and gathering supplies for a disaster can feel overwhelming. As moms, our brains might go a mile a minute trying to think of all the dangers and threats our children face. It is understandable if it becomes too much and you just want to use your free time to scroll through cute TikTok videos or binge-watch Gilmore Girls. I get it. So I’ve created a guide that takes away the analysis paralysis and gets straight to what you—a parent in the Annapolis area—need to keep your family safe and ready.

Possible Disaster Scenarios in Annapolis

I’m going to get this out of the way: This is not a doomsday prep guide. I’m not going to tell you what to put in your bunker for a zombie apocalypse. Anne Arundel Emergency Management has a list of possible catastrophes on their website, so you can explore those in more detail. But the most common ones for our area include:

House Fires: Most house fires between 2014 and 2023 were caused by cooking.
Floods and Flash Floods: Annapolis is susceptible to “nuisance flooding,” which you can read more about in this guide on Annapolis Emergency Management’s website. Flash flooding carries more risks because it can happen so quickly.
Storms and Tornadoes: Temperatures climb higher in the afternoon during the summer, which brings more storms. Those storms can bring high winds, hail, and even tornadoes.
Hurricanes: As long-time residents know, Maryland has had its fair share of hurricanes. Hurricane season is from June through November. According to the Colorado State Atlantic season hurricane forecast, forecasters expect “a well below-average probability for major hurricane landfalls along the continental United States coastline and in the Caribbean.” But they also state that “it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season.”
Power Outages: Common causes of power outages include severe weather, vehicle accidents near power lines, equipment failure, and fallen trees.
Winter Storms: Snow and ice, like what we experienced this past winter, can keep us stuck in our homes, so a shelter-in-place kit is going to be important for these times.

Easy Things You Can Do

Once you start digging into all the advice around prepping, you see how expensive and time-consuming it is. So if you take nothing else from this guide, these suggestions are good places to start:

Check your smoke detectors. Feel free to stop reading and go do that right now.
Check your fire extinguishers. Make sure they are ready for a quick response to a fire and that its gauge points to green.
Consider a fireproof and waterproof lockbox. Your most important documents can go in it, and it’s an easy thing to grab in a hurry.
Sign up for alerts. Alert Anne Arundel will send messages via text, email, pager (if you have one!), and “voice mail (in extreme cases)” that provide updates on weather or disasters. You can sign up on their website or by texting your ZIP code to 38276.
Decide on a family meeting place. My local firefighters suggested the mailbox. If your house doesn’t have its own, choose a place that’s easy to get to without crossing the street.
See more no- and low-cost suggestions from this flyer on Ready.gov.

Where to Keep Your Emergency Prep Items

Because you could be anywhere when disaster strikes, preparation involves keeping supplies nearby in any of your frequent locations. These are the primary suggestions from disaster prep experts:

Bug-Out Bag/Go Bag: For evacuations, you may only have time to grab one thing. A “go bag” has the necessities and can be carried by one person.
Evacuation Kit: A three-day supply kit that you can bring with you as you evacuate your home by car. Use a sturdy bin that can fit in your trunk.
Car Kit: In case you find yourself unlucky enough to be on the road when a flash flood or other storm hits, make sure you at least have emergency lights and enough supplies to shelter in your car.
Shelter-In-Place Supplies: A two-week supply of food, water, hygiene products, medications, and other necessities for when you are stuck in your home.

Stock Up on These Supplies

For all the different kits, you’ll have some variation in the quantity or the type of supplies. A car kit likely won’t have food (because it might freeze or melt without temperature control). And you won’t want to weigh down a go bag with enough water for many days. So keep that in mind when you use this as your checklist:

Shelf-stable food: Peanut butter, plain crackers, canned fish, canned beans, canned meat, canned vegetables, nuts/seeds, dried fruit, dried pasta, jars of sauce, sports drinks, powdered milk, and coffee/tea.
Communication items: Cell phone charger, battery-powered or hand-crank radio.
Water: One gallon per person per day (so 12 gallons for a family of four), and water filtration bottles.
Clothing: Weather-appropriate clothing and outerwear such as sweatshirts, rain jackets, and hats.
First Aid: A first-aid kit from a reputable store with bandages, gauze, Vaseline/Aquaphor, gloves, antiseptic, hydrocortisone, tweezers, scissors, and a cold compress.
Medications: Over-the-counter medications will be easier to store than prescription medications (depending on your insurance), but extras of each can be helpful. Consider extra eyeglasses and contact lens solution, as well.
Important Documents: Insurance documents, ID, titles, bank records, birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.
Hygiene: Soap, hand sanitizer, period products, masks, garbage bags, plastic ties, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Shelter Items: Sleeping bags, warm blankets, waterproof tape, non-sparking wrench or pliers, and tarp.
Cooking Items: Can opener, plates, utensils, cups, and camp stove.
Emergency Items: Maps, guides, a whistle, flashlights (and extra batteries), cash, and matches.
Photos: Names, ages, and phone numbers written on photos of your family members and pets.
Baby Supplies: Formula, diapers, bottles, wipes, diaper rash cream, and teething toys.
Pet Supplies: Carriers, food, water, collars/leashes, and bowls.
Extras: Candy or other comfort foods, toys/stuffed animals/comfort items, puzzles/games/cards, food seasonings, and coloring books/crayons.

And here are some websites where you can dig into more disaster-prep research and information for Americans and Marylanders.

Disaster preparedness can feel overwhelming. Thinking about these emergencies really pushes that anxiety button! So take it from a fellow mama—it doesn’t have to be perfect. Follow this guide, come up with a plan, and talk to your family about it. Then rest easy because you know you’ll be ready.