Homeland Security guide offers emergency tips for homeowners

WASHINGTON -- Check your flashlight and keep extra batteries on hand. Stow away jugs of water and food like peanut butter and crackers that won't go bad quickly.

Oh, and make sure you have some duct tape.

Those are some of the tips outlined in a new emergency preparedness guide from the Department of Homeland Security and the Homeownership Alliance, a coalition of housing industry and advocacy groups.

The guide, targeted at homeowners, recaps some basic tips, such as what to keep in an emergency supply kit and how to set up a "phone tree" to contact family members and friends during a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

The guide advises parents with young children to make sure their schools or day-care centers have emergency plans and adequate stocks of food, water and other supplies.

The booklet also contains guidelines for determining whether a biological, chemical or nuclear attack has occurred. Signs of a chemical attack include watery eyes and trouble breathing.

"Many sick or dead birds, fish or small animals are also cause for suspicion," the guide says.

If you determine it is best to stay inside your home, the guide says, head to an interior room with few windows and doors. Make sure your emergency kit and a radio, television or computer with Internet access is in the room, it advises.

Depending on the situation, you may want to "seal off" the room, the guide says.

That's where duct tape comes in. The adhesive and plastic sheeting can seal doorways and cover windows and vents.

The effort is part of Homeland Security's "Ready" campaign to educate the public about emergency preparedness. The government has also worked with broadcasters on similar outreach efforts.

The guide was to be unveiled Wednesday at an event in Washington with Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Members of the National Association of Realtors will distribute it to home buyers when they settle on a house, said Karen Kay Chappell, spokeswoman for the alliance.

"We need to be talking to people about these issues at a community level," Homeland Security spokeswoman Lara Shane said. "Certainly when you buy a new home, it's a natural fit."

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On the Net:

Homeland Security "Ready" campaign: http://www.ready.gov/

Homeownership Alliance: http://www.homeownershipalliance.com/