3 ways to ensure you're prepared in an emergency

(BPT) - Do you have a home emergency plan in place for you and your family? If the answer is no, you're not alone. According to a recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research for Amazon,* 81% of adults in the U.S. do not have a well-rounded home emergency plan in place. Outside of our own households, a similar number of adults (82%) are worried about not being notified if elderly family or friends have an accident or emergency at home.

In honor of National Preparedness Month in September, now is the perfect time to develop a home safety plan for your family and loved ones who live alone. It can feel daunting to tackle getting a plan together, but here are three easy tips to help you get started.

Identify the risks that are unique to the area you're in

An important first step is understanding the types of hazards that might be prevalent in your community, whether that's wildfires, earthquakes, flooding or major storms. Knowing what emergencies you're most likely to face allows you to better prepare and helps make creating a plan feel more manageable than trying to prepare for everything.

Your state and local government's emergency management websites are a great starting point to get more information about the common types of disasters and whether plans already exist for your area. You should also sign up for your community's alert and warning systems which can notify community members of impending disasters or of actions to take following a disaster.

Make a plan that takes into account the specific needs of your household

As you prepare, tailor your emergency plans and supplies to your specific needs and outline key roles and responsibilities, especially since your family may not always be together in case of an emergency.

Some questions to consider as you're building out a plan:

• How will we receive emergency alerts and warnings?
• What is our evacuation route and meeting point?
• Does everyone know who to call in an emergency?
• What vital items do we need in an emergency supplies kit beyond the typical items? (e.g. prescription medication, eyeglasses, extra contact lenses, cashier's check, etc.)
• Where will we keep important family documents physically and digitally? (e.g. copies of insurance policies, identification bank account records, etc.)

Invest in resources that can get you help fast and provide you peace of mind

Emergencies are by nature unpredictable and while it's essential to have a well-thought-through and actionable plan, one of the best things that you can do is also invest in a service that offers emergency support at any time, like Alexa Emergency Assist. Available 24/7, 365 days a year, this service allows your entire household to get fast access to help without having to pull out your phone or if it’s not in reach, by simply saying, "Alexa, call for help," to your Echo device.

Dedicated, professionally trained agents can request dispatch of emergency services and have access to any of your pre-saved critical information at the time of the call, like your home address, medications or allergies, allowing first responders to be thoroughly prepared when they arrive at your home.

Other key Alexa Emergency Assist features:

• 24/7 Urgent Response: Available around the clock, 365 days a year, even if phone lines are down.
• Professional assistance: Dedicated, trained agents can quickly request dispatch of police, fire, or ambulance services.
• No wait times: Call center answer times are faster than industry standards,** so you get help without delays.
• Pre-saved information: Urgent Response agents will have the information you choose to provide during sign-up, including your address, device details, medical conditions, household information (such as gate or door codes) and a list of emergency contacts.
• Emergency contacts: Alexa Emergency Assist allows you to save the contact information of up to 25 family members, friends or loved ones you choose to be automatically notified and informed when a call is placed.
• Smart alerts: These allow Alexa to detect if your smoke or CO alarm is sounding, or there's a sound of glass breaking — and will notify you so you can take action whether you're at home or away.

These tips will help offer you peace of mind, knowing that your family is prepared in case of any emergencies. To learn more about Alexa Emergency Assist, visit Amazon.com/gethelpfast.

*According to a survey of 1,000 U.S. Adults Ages 18+ and a survey of 1,000 U.S. parents of children ages 12 and under for Amazon by Wakefield Research between March 15-20, 2024.

**AEA's calls are answered faster than industry standards according to the National Fire Protection Association and National Emergency Number Association.