Are you prepared for an emergency? There are many things that you can do in advance to make sure that you and your family have the necessary essentials to sustain you during an emergency.

Having a go bag packed at all times with emergency supplies and a plan that outlines who you will contact and where you will go if you have to evacuate your home is vital.

Additionally, if you, or someone you know, might require additional assistance to leave home during an emergency, consider registering with the Special Needs Registry. The registry is for individuals with physical or mental disabilities who live on their own. The database will be provided to local municipalities to use in their emergency planning efforts.

Now is also the time to prepare your home and family for hurricanes or severe winter weather, which could include power outages, flooding, or being snowed in at home.

Severe storms could leave you without power for many days, making food storage, food preparation, and how to heat your home all major concerns.

If you plan to use a portable generator as a temporary power source, make sure that you have gasoline or propane on hand to fuel your generator before a storm arrives. It's also extremely important to follow safety guidelines when using a generator, or any other alternate heating source, to protect against Carbon Monoxide poisoning. For safety's sake, be sure to also install at least one carbon monoxide detector near the bedrooms in your home.