The Town of Essex hopes its residents are prepared to handle any emergency that arises.
Sunday marks the beginning of Safety Preparedness Week in Essex, an annual effort to encourage residents to review their emergency plans so when one comes up, they'll be able to handle it.
The town will use social media to help residents see the different ways they can prepare.
"You never know what can happen during an emergency," says Essex Fire Chief Rick Arnel in a statement. "Whether it's a large structure fire, tornado or flooding, we want our residents to do everything they can to be prepared."
Should Essex be hit with a significant weather event or a disaster, emergency crews could take a while to reach some residents. To that end, Arnel recommends keeping enough food and supplies in a household's emergency kit for at least 72 hours. The kit should also include prescription medication and pet supplies.
Essex also has an emergency alert system, where residents can sign up to receive notifications through their home or business phone, email and text messaging.
The town has an emergency preparedness page on its official website, providing additional details on how residents can be ready to handle any situation.