Emergency guide: What you should do to prepare for emergencies

WASHINGTON — Do you know what you’d do if an emergency hits? What if you’re at work, your spouse is stuck in traffic and your children are in school?

There’s no way to plan for every emergency, but you can make sure you’re prepared for different scenarios, including making a plan for your family and building a kit of emergency supplies.

WTOP works hard behind the scenes to make sure its radio stations stay on the air through any emergency — natural or otherwise. The station has backup transmitting facilities and studios well outside Washington, D.C. Remember, you can tune in to WTOP at the following frequencies: 103.5-FM and 103.9-FM and 107.7-FM. You also can listen to WTOP online.

WTOP’s sister station — WFED — specializes in federal news. You can tune into WFED on 1500-AM and 820-AM, as well as listen online.

In the event of a major national emergency, WFED will simulcast WTOP’s programming.

As always, WTOP wants to make sure you’ve thought about what you can do before an emergency happens.

Preparing for emergencies: What should be in your emergency kit?

Ready.gov, which is run by the Department of Homeland Security, provides resources on preparing for a range of disasters, including hurricanes, flooding and wildfires.

The site also has helpful tips for building an emergency supply kit, which should include food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, flashlight, first aid kit and more.

Below are additional links and resources to help you prepare for various emergencies:

The Red Cross also provides tips and resources for preparing for and responding to emergencies. Being prepared for emergencies is crucial at home, school, work and in your community. Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood, workplace or school or can confine you to your home.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management spells out how federal workers should handle emergency situations. Federal employees in the D.C. area can find out the government’s operating status online or by calling 202-606-1900. In addition, OPM has

In addition, OPM has emergency guidance posted online.

Here are some additional resources:

Make a Plan – Capital Alert offers alert services and resources for making your emergency plan.
District of Columbia -In an emergency, this site will provide real-time instructions to District residents and visitors.
Montgomery County – Montgomery County offers alerts and provides translations of how to prepare for an emergency in Cambodian, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese.
Fairfax County– Fairfax County provides resources for how to prepare for natural disasters and how to recover.

Other cities and counties: