Disaster Preparedness Passport now Available at the Richardson Public Library

The Disaster Preparedness Passport is your guide to get ready for environmental emergencies. This Passport is full of activities, puzzles and games for you and your family.

Visit www.cor.net/DisasterPassport for more information

Let's Get Ready Richardson!

Take action and be prepared for whatever life brings. Get information, tips and tools to prepare your family, home, and neighborhood with Richardson's Office of Emergency Management.

Request a Presentation

• Keep at least 72 hours of supplies on hand- for water that's 1 gallon per person per day
  • A family of 4 needs at least 12 gallons of water
• Gather important documents like insurance and medical information
• Prepare loved ones with access and functional needs
  • For more preparedness videos, including downloadable, accessible, and ASL versions, visit txready.org

A few simple steps, such as having a disaster supply kit, could help save your life so Let's Get Ready Richardson!

Information about Richardson's Public Warning Systems

• Public warning includes much more than outdoor sirens
• Get notified through multiple methods to get emergency messages when some systems and networks are impacted
  
  • Purchase a NOAA All-Hazards Radio for indoor warning - Every household and business should have one
  • Emergency Notification System - Sign up for alerts through calls, texts, and emails
  • Outdoor Warning System (Sirens) - 22 sirens to warn the public when outside
  • Emergency Alert System - National system for TV and Radio including AMBER alerts and other emergency broadcasts
  • For regular updates, Follow Richardson Emergency Management on X

Sheltering in a Tornado Event

The City does not have public storm shelters because while they may seem like a good idea, they often come with more risks than benefits to residents including:

• Traveling to a public storm shelter could put you at greater risk than if you sheltered in place. Traffic is likely to get congested if everyone is heading toward one location.
• Tornadoes can happen at night. If a storm wakes you at 2 a.m. you likely won’t have enough time to gather your family, load them into a car and drive to a storm shelter. Sheltering in place affords you the quickest and best protection for a short notice event
• Opening public buildings as storm shelters gives a false sense of security and offers no more protection than a well-built residential structure.
• The City has not built public storm shelters because it would be impossible to shelter even a small percentage of the population. If we were to do this, we are required to build enough shelters to hold more than over 100,000 residents.

To build a safe room for your home or business, visit fema.gov/safe-rooms.

Basic Tornado Safety

• Get to the lowest possible level of a building or structure (First floor, basement, storm cellar)
• Choose an interior room with no windows, such as a closet or bathroom
• Get underneath sturdy piece of furniture and cover neck and head
• Avoid places / rooms with wide-span roofs (cafeterias, gymnasiums, shopping malls)
• Mobile Homes are not safe shelters - pay close attention to weather conditions and make plans before the storm arrives to get to different location quickly
• Apartment dwellers should have a plan in place to get to the lowest level of the complex. Contact your Leasing Office for more information
• Do not attempt to outrun a tornado in your automobile, seek shelter inside a nearby building.
• If stranded outside lie down in a ditch or low lying area away from the vehicle, but remain aware of possible flash flooding
• Do not seek shelter underneath a bridge or overpass

Accommodation requests for persons with disabilities should be made by contacting Lindsay Turman, the City's ADA Coordinator via phone at 972-744-0908, via email at ADACoordinator@cor.gov, or by appointment at 2360 Campbell Creek Blvd., Richardson, TX 75082.