Emergency Preparedness
Be Ready. Stay Connected. Plan for Your Needs.
Emergencies can happen quickly, and Alaska's weather, geography, and natural hazards can make preparation especially important. A personal emergency plan can help you, your family, caregivers, and support network know what to do, how to stay connected, and what you may need to remain safe.
Whether you are preparing for an earthquake, severe weather, extreme cold, wildfire, power outage, evacuation, or another emergency, you do not have to create a perfect plan all at once. Start with the steps that matter most to you and build from there.
View & Print the Emergency PlanIf someone is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical, police, or fire assistance, call 911. During an emergency, follow instructions from local officials and emergency responders.
Start with a Plan
Know What You Will Do and Who Will Help
Think about what you would need if you had to remain at home without regular services, leave quickly, or stay somewhere unfamiliar. Include the people who support you in your planning.
Know Your Risks
Identify the emergencies most likely to affect your home and community, such as earthquakes, fires, extreme cold, flooding, power outages, or volcanic ash.
Decide Whether to Stay or Go
Plan how you would safely shelter at home and how you would leave if an evacuation were ordered. Identify more than one safe exit and destination when possible.
Build a Support Network
Choose trusted family members, friends, neighbors, caregivers, or other supporters who can check on you, share information, or help during an emergency.
Make a Communication Plan
Choose an out-of-area contact, write down important phone numbers, and decide how everyone will reconnect if local phone service is disrupted.
Plan for Service Interruptions
Consider what you would do if caregiving, transportation, pharmacy, meal delivery, medical, or utility services were temporarily unavailable.
Practice Your Plan
Review the plan with the people involved and practice important steps. Update it whenever your health, home, medications, equipment, contacts, or support needs change.
Plan Around the Individual
Include Your Health, Accessibility, and Support Needs
Every emergency plan should reflect the person using it. Older adults and people with disabilities may need additional planning for communication, mobility, medical care, personal assistance, transportation, or accessible shelter.
Independence does not mean preparing alone. Your emergency plan may include family, friends, neighbors, caregivers, health professionals, and community organizations that can help you stay safe and make informed choices.
Build Your Supplies Over Time
Prepare a Seven-Day Emergency Kit
Alaska's 7-Day Survival Kit guide provides a 24-week approach to gathering supplies gradually. Choose items that fit your household, health needs, abilities, climate, and living situation.
Water & Food
- Water for each household member and pet
- Nonperishable foods that meet dietary needs
- Ready-to-eat meals and high-energy snacks
- Manual can opener
- Basic dishes and utensils
- A safe way to prepare food if utilities are unavailable
Safety & Communication
- Flashlights and extra batteries
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- Cellphone battery bank or backup charging option
- Whistle and safety light
- First-aid supplies
- Local maps
- Paper, permanent marker, and pens
Health & Personal Needs
- Medications and copies of prescriptions
- Medical and emergency information
- Personal hygiene supplies
- Extra glasses and hearing-aid batteries
- Disability-related equipment and supplies
- Masks, gloves, and sanitation supplies
- Clothing, sturdy shoes, blankets, and cold-weather gear
Documents & Practical Items
- Copies of identification and important documents
- Emergency contacts
- Insurance and medical information
- Cash in small denominations
- Spare keys
- Basic tools and work gloves
- Waterproof storage for important papers
Children, Service Animals & Pets
- Infant or child-specific supplies
- Comfort items and simple activities
- Pet food and water
- Leashes, carriers, identification, and vaccination records
- Pet medications and basic first-aid supplies
Prepare to Stay—or to Leave
Shelter at Home
Choose a safe location, gather supplies, and plan for possible interruptions to heat, electricity, water, communication, transportation, and regular support services.
Pack a Go Bag
Keep essential supplies in a portable bag that can be reached quickly. Include medications, identification, emergency contacts, communication items, basic clothing, personal-care supplies, and disability-related equipment.
Plan an Accessible Evacuation
Identify safe exits, transportation options, accessible destinations, and the assistance you may need. Make sure trusted members of your support network understand the plan.
Make Your Home and Vehicle Safer
Do not shut off utilities unless local officials direct you to do so or you know it is necessary and can do it safely. Ask the appropriate utility provider for instructions before an emergency occurs.
Focused Teamwork
Make Preparedness a Team Conversation
An emergency plan works best when everyone understands their role. Individuals, families, caregivers, and support professionals should talk about communication, backup support, transportation, medication and equipment needs, evacuation assistance, and what to do if regular services are interrupted.
Questions to discuss:
- Who should be contacted first?
- Who can safely check on the person?
- Who has a copy of the emergency plan?
- What assistance may be needed to shelter or evacuate?
- What equipment, medications, or supplies are essential?
- What should happen if the scheduled caregiver cannot arrive?
- Where will everyone meet or reconnect?
- How will important updates be communicated?
Write the plan down, share it with the appropriate people, and keep a copy somewhere easy to find.
Alaska Planning Tools
Emergency Preparedness Resources
Access Alaska Emergency Preparedness
Emergency-planning information and accessible resources for Alaskans with disabilities, families, caregivers, and first responders.
Explore Access Alaska ResourcesGet Ready! Emergency Preparedness Toolkit
A detailed Alaska planning toolkit for people with disabilities, including guidance for sheltering, evacuation, emergency supplies, support networks, medical needs, equipment, service animals, and Alaska-specific hazards.
Open the Get Ready! ToolkitAlaska 7-Day Survival Kit Guide
A 24-week, step-by-step guide that helps households gradually gather enough emergency supplies to last seven days or until help arrives.
Build Your 7-Day KitEmergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities
State of Alaska information, accessible videos, planning tools, and preparedness resources for people with disabilities and their families.
Visit the Alaska Resource PageA Little Planning Today Can Make a Big Difference Tomorrow
Start with one conversation, one checklist, or one bag of supplies. Involve the people you trust, personalize the plan around your needs, and keep building it over time.
This page provides general educational information and links to outside resources. It is not a substitute for instructions from emergency officials, individualized medical advice, or professional emergency planning. Emergency needs differ by person and location. Follow current directions from local authorities and speak with your health care providers, equipment suppliers, utility companies, and support team about your individual needs. LIFT does not control or guarantee the accuracy, availability, or accessibility of external resources.