Response

What is response?

There are five stages of response to an emergency or disaster:

1. Alerting and notification
2. Warning
3. Protecting the citizens and property
4. Providing for the public welfare
5. Restoration

The length of each stage depends upon the emergency situation. For example, the alerting or notification stage for a flood or hurricane may be several days. In some cases there is less time before the onset of a disaster. For a tornado or explosion it may be a matter of minutes.
      - FEMA’s Guide for All-hazard Emergency           Operations Planning

It is imperative you understand how your jurisdiction plans to communicate with you during an event. If you’re unaware, check your local Office of Emergency Management webpage, or simply call them. The key is to learn the information BEFORE the event.