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Emergency Preparedness

If an emergency or disaster happens:

  • Stay calm. Try not to panic, take time to understand what has happened and what you can do to stay safe and avoid injury. Gather family members and pets together until you have assessed the situation. Sheltering in place is always a good first option.
  • Check the scene. Pay attention to your surroundings to determine whether you are safe, where you are and whether anyone around you needs help; if you think you are in danger, get to a safer place as soon as you can. If not at home when an emergency happens, try not to rush back there if traveling is unsafe.
  • Give and Get Help. If you or others are hurt or still in danger, call 911, explain what has happened, where you are, what injuries people have, and whether the danger still exists. If trained to administer first aid, do so until help arrives. Listen for official emergency announcements. Your best source of information is local radio and television stations which will give emergency updates and instructions. In Morton Grove, cable channel 6 is the method by which Village authorities will make emergency announcements when necessary.
  • Get prepared to evacuate if told to do so by local authorities. If told to leave your home or work, do so right away, follow exact evacuation routes, and go to the specified shelter or safe area. If you can, bring your Emergency Kit with you, and get in touch with your family’s designated emergency contact person as soon as you can to let them know where you are and if you are OK.
  • Secure your home before leaving. Close all the windows and lock the doors before leaving. Turn on your porch light if you still have electricity. If you know where you are being evacuated to, write the location down on a piece of paper along with a phone number and tack it to your door, so if separated family members or emergency workers need to get hold of you while you are gone, they will know how to contact you.

Resident’s Guide to Emergency Preparedness

Emergencies often happen without warning, leaving little or no time for you and your family to plan what to do next. So, it is important for you to learn about the measures you can take to be ready – before an emergency happens. The best way to be prepared is to make an Emergency Plan and put together an Emergency Kit.

The Village has prepared information for a possible emergency situation such as a tornado, ice storm, or other disaster. To see how to prepare for an emergency, please go here.