Emergency Preparedness
Make a plan, build an emergency kit, and find trusted resources through 211 New York State.
During a disaster, 211 community resource specialists are here to help you find trusted, non-emergency support—including shelter and housing options, food and supplies, evacuation and transportation guidance, and recovery assistance.
Call 211, text your ZIP code to 898211 for local services and updates.
Before a Disaster
Get ready now:
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Make a plan for every member of your household including pets.
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Build an emergency kit with food, water, medications, important documents, pet supplies (carriers, leashes, vaccination records), and other essentials.
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Take a Citizen Preparedness class to understand local risks and how to respond.
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Stay informed by signing up for alerts and official updates.
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Mental Health
Mental Health During a Disaster: Disasters and other traumatic events can push people past their usual coping skills. It’s common to feel anxious, fearful, irritable, numb, overwhelmed, or hopeless — sometimes right away, sometimes days or weeks later.
Know the signs that it’s time to reach out:
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trouble sleeping
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panic
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constant worry
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big mood changes
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withdrawing from others
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increased substance use
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feeling like you can’t manage daily tasks
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or needs crisis support, call or text 988 anytime to connect with a trained counselor. If you’re struggling with disaster-related distress, you can also contact the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 (call or text).
Disaster Distress Helpline: 800-985-5990
This is the first national hotline dedicated to providing year-round disaster crisis counseling. This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
OMH Customer Relations at 800-597-8481
This agency promotes the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a particular focus on providing hope and recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Use the customer relations line for questions about mental health services, to find a mental health service provider or to make a complaint.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
988 connects you to trained crisis counselors 24/7. They can help anyone thinking about suicide, struggling with substance use, experiencing a mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. You can also call, text or chat 988 if you are worried about someone you care about who may need crisis support.
Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline: 800-942-6906 or text
Text 844-997-2121
If you are unsafe in your relationship, reach out to an advocate any time, day or night. Chats, texts, and calls are completely confidential; secure and private; staffed by professionals who can help; available 7 days/week, 24 hours per day.
Post Disaster & Recovery
After a disaster, a 211 Community Resource Specialist can help you find trusted, non-emergency help—fast. A trained specialist can share up-to-date local services for housing, food, clean-up help, replacing important documents, and reliable information about recovery programs.
Since every disaster is different, the services available may change—211 can tell you what support is currently available and how to access it.
Start Here
211 Community Resource Specialists Can Help You
Find Information On:
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Housing & shelter: emergency shelter, temporary housing, rental help
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Food & essentials: food, water, diapers, dry ice, and other supplies
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Clean-up & repairs: debris removal, mold info, home repair help
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Financial help: benefits screening, local assistance programs
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Mental Health & counseling: crisis counseling referrals and recovery supports
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Replacing documents: ID, insurance, and vital records guidance
Learn More
Learn more about common emergency situations and the quick, practical steps that can protect you and your home—before, during, and after an event. These guides cover what to do right away—check alerts, limit travel, and follow evacuation instructions—plus how to reduce risks at home, like preventing frozen pipes and securing heavy items, and key safety tips for power outages, flooding, and wildfire smoke. If you’re stuck in winter weather, remember: never run a car in deep snow unless the tailpipe is clear—exhaust can build up quickly and lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), The Red Cross, and Ready.gov provide information on how to prepare for emergency situations.
