Emergency Preparedness
Nobody plans for Emergencies, they just happen...
..., except you can plan and should!These are some of the things you can and should do to prepare for the inevitable unplanned event.
Washington County Emergency Alert System
Washington County uses the 'Public Safety by Everbridge' for cell phones to distribute Emergency Alerts and other disaster-related public information to the people living there.
Washington County Emergency Management Department
Washington County, UT - Everbridge-Nixle Citizen Alert Sign Up
What is the Emergency Alert Program? How It Works Public Safety by Everbridge: Apple IOS App Store Android Google Play StoreSo, what should I do?
Fire is the biggest daily danger, so we will refer to that specifically, but this is true of all emergencies.72-Hour Kit - Create a Kit/Bag of the most critical things you need if suddenly you need to evacuate.
Must be grab and go. You can take it with you when you go, but only if you are prepared!
You need a 72-Hour Kit for each member of your household.
72-Hour Kit (Part 2) - Make one for your pets too!
Have an Out-of-Area contact plan
An agreed upon family/friend contact to check in with and who will try to check on you.
All members of your family that are separated will try to contact the out-of-area contact.
Make an Escape Plan
- Have an Emergency Evacuation Plan and a Designated Meeting Point to find each other.
- How do you get out of the room in a fire? What is the path?
- How do you move/remove windows?
- Do not open door if there is fire is on the other side!
- Seal the door and the bottom with a towel or clothes to keep the smoke out
- Where will we meet afterward if we are separated?
Know/Think About...
Where are the 72-hour Kits located?
Do I even have time to grab that? Real Emergencies don't wait, sometimes there is NO TIME.How/Where will you get more Critical Medicines?
Put provider names, phone numbers and prescription numbers in your 72-Hour Kit
72-Hour Kit Checklist - one kit for each family member
Water 1 Gallon per person per day - 3-day supply
Food and utensils Focus on compact non-perishable foods like granola/meal bars that won't melt
Medications Minimum 3-days of all critical medicines and recommend pain relievers & anti-diarrheal
NOAA Weather Alert Radio Hand-cranked or have extra batteries - do not leave batteries in the radio (leaks)
Blankets/Pillows/Sleeping Bags - everybody has to sleep, even in emergencies
Flashlights/Light Sticks Have extra Batteries - do not store with non-rechargeable batteries inside (leaks)
Loud Whistle with lanyard For Emergency Signaling
N95 Face Masks/Dust Marks Collapsed Buildings make lots of dust / Fires make smoke / Infective diseases usually are airborne
Moist Towelettes/Baby Wipe Sanitation (after toileting, etc)
Tools turning off Gas/Water Wrench/Pliers - Gloves - (think about having brooms/shovels available)
Can Opener (if using canned food in kit)
Plastic Sheeting/strong tape for creating a shelter or sealing a room
First Aid Supplies Bandages/Gauze/Tape/Ointments/Tweezers/Scissors/antiseptics/hot-cold packs
Personal Hygiene Items Including at least one change of clothing, shoes and outerwear (jacket, etc)/toothbrush/hairbrush/etc.
Garbage Bags For cleanup and sanitary use / Ziplock-style bags
Paper Supplies Toilet Paper/Paper Towels/Paper Plates/Eating Utensils
Writing Supplies Pen/Pencil/Sharpie Markers/Paper
Camera (and battery) Disposable or simple camera for recording damage
Cash and ATM/Credit Card Don't expect ATMs to be online though - keep cash in small denominations ($1/$5/$20)
Emergency Contact #'s Out-of-Area check-in/Check-on contacts
Local/Regional Maps How do we completely leave the area if necessary
Medical Histories For every family member including list of medicines by name and dosages
Copies of Critical Documents Driver License/ID cards - save those expired IDs in your kit
Emergency communication needs to be available for all 72‑Hours. Have ways to charge emergency communication devices that does not rely on electric serviceSolar/hand generator/battery pack/etc. — Don't forget the cords! Keep Emergency Communication devices and charging source separated from entertainment devices/charging needs. Did you know? Old cell phones are still useful as Emergency Communications devices. All Cell phones whether you have service or not, are *required* to be enabled for 911 Emergency Service.Keep a spare pair of good closed-toe shoes in your Kit, under bed, or another no-thinking easy access area
Container Tips Use compact water-tight container with wheels that can fit into a trunk for shared supplies.
72-Hour Kit Tips A rolling Carry-on size suitcase for your Kit - Thift Stores often have them quite cheap.
Storage Location Keep the 72-Hour Kit easy to find/access for rapid access like near bedroom door
Camping Gear Keep camping gear in area accessible without flashlights close to an outside door
Seniors / Babies / Toddlers will need additional thought/time/assistance
Have children 'buddy-up' to assist each other or younger siblings
Pets need 72-Hour Kits too
Food/Water/Medicines/copies of critical medical documentation/photos for identification/rabies and ownership docs/carrier or crate/blanket or towel/extra collar & leash/toys/treats/waste bags/first aid items/shampoo/muzzle
What is your Evacuation Plan? Make a Contacts list.
Write out an evacuation plan and contacts list — place plan and contacts in all 72-Hour Kits.
Discuss the plan for safe evacuation of the home/neighborhood/city with all members of the family.
Your plan should consider both immediate situations like a house fire, and longer-term situations like earthquake/wildfire/flood. Older adults with mobility/medical issues/vision-hearing-cognitive-sensory impairments/etc. need extra consideration & planning.Other Planning Resources
Southwest Utah Public Health (Utah State Health Department) - coordinates Public Health for our five County region.They released a detailed Emergency Preparedness Edition of their Health Magazine (Winter 2025). Ivins City also has an excellent Emergency Preparedness page.How to plan for Utility Outages
In Utility Outages you generally have no control over the situation — only how you respond.
Electrical Outages
Power outages can be local (your home) / area (the neighborhood) / regional (the city) / or statewide
Power could be out for a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, or in worst case a few weeks.
Rolling Blackout power outages - select neighborhoods lose power for some hours to keep the system from failing.
Make a PLAN - the plan should be for at least 3-days.
Things to think about:
Remember — you could be without power for days
Medical devices like CPAP/respirators/oxygen generators will lose power.
Refrigerated medicines may be unusable after warming. Ask your pharmacist *before* it happens.
No garage door opener (how will you get your car out to evacuate?)
No device/phone charging
No air conditioning / heat emergencies
Electric heating will not work
No refrigerator/freezer (keep it closed to conserve the cold)
Refrigerated/frozen food at 40°F or higher for more than two hours should be used immediately or thrown out.
Community effects
No gas stations
No traffic lights
Most/all businesses, including grocery stores will be closed.
Cell phones may or may not have service.
No non-emergency medical services and emergency services will likely be swamped.
Consider whether relocating to a community Emergency Shelter is needed.
Where is the designated community shelter location is.
Do we need to relocate to another area (SLC/Las Vegas/Cedar City) and where would we stay?
Do we have enough gasoline to go that far?
Conserve water - water is usually gravity feed to the home but requires electric pumps to refill the tank.
Water lines may be broken in an earthquake.
Be patient — many people are working on the problem to restore service asap.
Calling to demand your service be restored will not help in the slightest.
They already know about it, they are working on it, and if it is a regional problem, it may be completely out of their hands too.
If you have access to the website for reporting trouble, you can get queued without tying up personnel needed for emergency calls.
There is a maximum among utility workers about how people respond when you show up on a call for their outage: Right after it happens, they are frustrated, after an hour they are angry, after a day they are livid, after two days they relieved, and after three days they are so happy to see you!Natural Gas Outages
Natural Gas outages also can be local (your home) / area (the neighborhood) / regional (the city) / or statewide
If the appliance uses a pilot light, shut the gas valve to that device until the outage is over.
Have a qualified person relight the pilot.
Use an electrical space heater in an enclosed room for warmth, if available.
Use extra-clothing layers and bedding to keep warm. Have a camp stove or BBQ with spare propane bottles available for cooking. Use it outside. If the outage appears to be regional, consider whether you need to relocate to a Community Shelter or with family or a hotel outside the affected area.Safety in all utility outages, whether electrical or natural gas
Anything that burns, whether Wood/Natural Gas/Propane/Gasoline is a Carbon Monoxide source. Fireplaces/Stoves/Furnaces/BBQs/Camp Stoves/Automobiles/Generators — ALL of these create Carbon Monoxide.Carbon Monoxide Poisoning happens when the exhaust gases from burning accumulate in/near enclosed spaces. Generators/BBQs/Kerosene Heaters/Camp Stoves should be used outside - Carbon Monoxide will build up Do NOT use a gas stove to heat a home or room - same problem - Carbon Monoxide build up.Carbon Monoxide is also known as the "Invisible Killer" and kills about 2,100 people each year. About 100,000 people are treated at hospital Emergency Rooms each year and probably twice that were actually poisoned. You should have Carbon Monoxide detector(s) in the house, and test it regularly. Carbon Monoxide is heavier than air, so detectors should be placed low, not on the ceiling.Carbon Monoxide is colorless and odorless and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is often fatal.
When a Carbon Monoxide alarm goes off — it *is* an emergency!! Leave the area immediately and call 911Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning.Carbon Monoxide binds Hemoglobin in the blood and cells throughout the body die quickly from no oxygen. If you are LUCKY, you get headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, or confusion first. Unlucky ones just die !!! The symptoms you feel are your cells screaming in their death throes because they need more oxygen, but the Hemoglobin cannot deliver it. At 800 ppm you become incoherent after 2-hours. At 1,600 ppm you will die in 2-hours. At 3,200 ppm you will die in 30-minutes. Because it is colorless and odorless, deaths often happen while sleeping. They just never notice or wake up. Common methods of getting Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:Running a car in a garage to keep warm — even with the door open, the Carbon Monoxide can't disperse fast enough. Running the car continuously to keep warm in a snowstorm— snow blocks/traps Carbon Monoxide, & it accumulates inside the car. Even in the open, exhaust from the car can accumulate — notice if you start feeling ill, stop the car and get some fresh air. Blocked chimneys or appliance vent flues — flue gases are pushed into the dwelling instead of venting outside. BBQs/Camp Stoves/kerosene-powered 'shop' heaters inside the house — designed for outside, where exhaust fumes can rapidly disperse. Even if an area is only Partially Enclosed, like a porch or garage, it is not good enough. GENERATORS - The most useful and dangerous appliance you own. Every year people die from portable generator use. Designed to be used far away from enclosed spaces. Some generators have an automatic Carbon Monoxide shut-off feature. This is very highly recommended! And have a Carbon Monoxide detector too!Generators kill about 100 people every year, always tragically, when they are 'helping'.
Carbon Monoxide is why you have a chimney and exhaust ducts for all appliances that burn gas, and why it is so dangerous when they are obstructed. Similarly, placing a Generator just outside of an open window is about as dangerous as it can get.Place the Generator at least 20 feet away, from the home with the exhaust pointed away and where the Carbon Monoxide cannot accumulate.
Why else should I be concerned about emergencies?
How about: The Hurricane Fault Faults? Earthquakes?? Huh?!? They only have those in California! —— Wrong!!
The Hurricane Fault:
Is part of the "Intermountain Seismic Belt" that extends from Montana to northern Arizona. Utah averages around a magnitude 6 earthquake every 15–20 years somewhere along the belt. — It had a part in forming everything you think of as Southwestern Utah — It stretches from north of Cedar City to south of the Grand Canyon — Large and distinct — Hurricane Cliffs/Fault stretch from Hurricane to Grand Canyon are easily identifiable in satellite photos. — Active — The source of the St. George Earthquake in 1992 (one of the two most destructive earthquakes in recent Utah history). St. George Earthquake on September 2, 1992 — magnitude 5.8 — similar to the 2020 Magna 5.7 earthquake. Then there are the related Washington Fault, Sevier Fault, Gunlock Fault, and Grand Wash Faults. Other earthquakes: April 20, 1891 – St. George, UT – magnitude 5.0 -and- Nov 17, 1902 – Pine Valley, UT (quake series) – magnitude 6 ± — Will there be an earthquake here in the future? Inevitably! Somewhere in the 6.5~7.0 range — Significantly dangerous."Large, damaging earthquakes are rare events in southwestern Utah, but active faults in the St. George–Hurricane metropolitan area are capable of producing earthquakes as large as M 6.5-7"
Washington fault zone is considered active and capable of producing future large earthquakes that represent a significant seismic hazard to the St. George metropolitan area.