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Emergency Management

The vision of Douglas County Emergency Management is that Douglas County, Kansas will be a community that is disaster aware and disaster prepared.

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Children's Materials

This is the children's materials page for Douglas County, Kansas. Do you know what to do in case of a tornado or if you have to evacuate from your house? Find out below how to be prepared, or ready, for any emergency situation! Life changing events, or disasters, can happen at anytime and with little to no advanced warning. Tornadoes, floods, fires, and winter storms could leave you and your family without electricity or running water. Disasters can happen to anyone, anywhere! You can reduce the impact of a disaster on you and your family by getting prepared. Help safeguard yourself, your family, and your pets by taking the following steps:

Dangers affecting Douglas County can be placed into four categories: Natural Disasters, Chemical Emergencies, Terrorist Attacks and Public Health Emergencies.

Decide what could affect you or your family. Dangers affecting Douglas County can be placed into the categories below:

Natural Disasters (most common type of disaster)

  • Severe weather including tornadoes, hail, damaging winds and lightning
  • Floods including flash flooding
  • Winter weather including snow, ice, and freezing temperatures

Chemical Emergencies (accidents involving dangerous or hazardous materials)
Accidents can occur at:

  • Chemical plants
  • Gas stations
  • Railroads and highways

Terrorist Attacks (low risk, but still a possibility)
Possible targets may include: large cities, international airports, or popular tourist attractions

Public Health Emergencies (when health issues affect many people)
Emergencies may include:

  • Influenza (Flu)
  • Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
  • Pandemics

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It's important to know what to do when disaster strikes! Create a plan your whole family can use! Talk to your parent or guardian about creating an emergency plan for your family. Below is a list of items needed in your emergency plan:

1. An Evacuation Plan
Do you know what to do if you have to leave your school early due to severe weather, fire, or hazardous material spill?
What if you have to leave your home because of an emergency?
Include answers to both of these questions in your Evacuation Plan.
Also include a map of your home locating all of the exits.

2. Two Family Meeting Places
One outside your home in case of a fire. This could be in your neighbor's yard or across the street. One outside your neighborhood in case you can't get home.

3. Family Contact Information
You need everyone's work, school, and cell numbers.
Your out-of-town contact:
What is an out-of-town contact? A friend or family member who would not likely be involved in the same emergency or disaster as you. This is who you call if you can't reach your family.
Why do you need an out-of-town contact? It may be easier to call someone out of state than someone in town

Remember: Everyone must know and understand the plan for it to work. Practice your plan frequently, and update it when anything in your plan changes.

Don't forget to think about your pets!


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Emergencies can happen without warning, so having the supplies you'll need for three days will help keep your family safe.

You never know when a disaster could strike, so be prepared. With your parent or guardian, gather the materials listed below and place them in easy to carry containers.

Your kit should include 3 days of supplies for everyone in your family - even your pets!

  • Water (1 gallon per person per day)
  • Radio (AM/FM and NOAA All-Hazard Radio)
  • Flashlight with extra batteries
  • Glow sticks (optional)
  • First Aid Kit
  • Medications (including any prescriptions)
  • Personal Hygiene Items (Soap, deodorant, wet wipes, etc)
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizer
  • Whistle (Why - Whistles can be heard better and can be done longer than yelling)
  • Eyeglasses, inhaler, contacts, or other essential items
  • Nonperishable foods like canned foods, peanut butter, crackers and pet food (if you have a pet)
  • Changes of clothing based on season, including hard soled shoes (not just flip-flops)
  • Small amount of cash or credit card
  • Extra set of keys
  • Blankets or sleeping bags
  • Indoor game or book for you to play with or read
  • Any other items you need to survive like a wheel chair

Remind your parent or guardian to make copies of important documents like bank statements, insurance cards, driver's licenses, birth certificates, etc and put those in the preparedness kit.


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