By Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz

An emergency situation can be unpredictable here in Western New York since we often are faced with dangerous and fast-changing weather conditions in the winter months. When it comes to keeping you and your family safe, being prepared can make all the difference.

That is why Erie County recently partnered with the United Way to assemble and distribute more than 5,000 emergency care kits that contain useful tools and valuable resources to help any household respond and recover as quickly as possible during an emergency. I am proud of the collaborative effort that was on display by county government and our community partners during this process. A special thanks goes out to the hundreds of volunteers who helped assembly the care kits and the numerous public library employees and other county personnel who coordinated distribution to residents throughout Erie County.

Responding to an emergency requires everyone’s participation, including preparing for a disaster before it occurs. These kits provide a variety of basics that people might need during an emergency. I encourage everyone to plan and prepare now by contacting your local library branch to check the availability of care kits and to learn how you can build your own kit with common household items.

A typical emergency preparedness kit contains emergency blankets, foldable water jugs, non-perishable food items, water, first aid supplies, cellular telephone chargers, an emergency flashlight, work gloves, duct tape and detailed instructions about how to develop your own emergency plan. For more information about the emergency care kits, please visit your local public library.

Another simple way to help prepare for the next emergency is to download the free #ReadyErie app so that you are ready to receive critical alerts that can help keep your family and other love ones safe during a catastrophic event. By downloading the app to your iphone, iPad, iOS or android device you will be prepared to access instant information on weather conditions, road closures, evacuation routes and emergency shelter locations, as well as receive push notifications and specialized emergency alerts. To learn more, visit www.erie.gov/ReadyErie.

Emergency planning and preparedness allows everyone to respond in a safe and organized manner to moments of uncertainty when disaster strikes. As we experienced during the Christmas blizzard of 2022, disasters can happen at any time. An unprecedented and hopefully a once-in-a-generation event like that is a reminder to develop a plan now so that we all will be fully prepared for a future emergency.