September is National Preparedness Month, a timely reminder that the best moment to prepare for an emergency is before one begins. For families in Knoxville, Johnson City, and across East Tennessee, that means having a plan for severe weather, power outages, home fires, carbon monoxide, and situations that may require a quick evacuation.
As the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene approaches, it is worth taking a fresh look at the systems and routines your household would rely on if normal life were to pause unexpectedly. Tennessee’s Hurricane Helene disaster incident period began September 26, 2024, and the storm caused significant impacts in parts of East Tennessee.
A practical home safety checklist can make that preparation feel manageable. Start with these core steps, then consider how monitored life-safety devices and home security can help support your family when you are asleep, away, or unable to respond right away.
1. Build a Family Emergency Plan
Every member of the household should know what to do, where to go, and how to reconnect if you are separated.
Start with the basics:
- Choose a meeting spot right outside your home in case of a fire or other emergency.
- Choose a second meeting location outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home.
- Select an out-of-area contact person everyone can call or text if local networks are overloaded.
- Keep important phone numbers saved in each family member’s phone and written on a card or in an emergency kit.
- Talk through plans for children, older relatives, neighbors who may need help, and pets.
- Practice your evacuation plan at least twice a year.
The American Red Cross recommends planning for the emergencies most likely where you live, assigning responsibilities, identifying meeting places, and practicing the plan as a household. It also advises choosing alternate routes in case roads are impassable and planning ahead for pets.
For East Tennessee families, include more than one evacuation route. Heavy rain, downed trees, flooded roads, and localized outages can make a familiar route unavailable with little notice.
2. Create an Emergency Supply Kit
An emergency kit should be accessible, easy to carry, and tailored to your household. Keep one at home, and consider smaller versions for vehicles or workplaces.
Include essentials such as:
- Drinking water and nonperishable food
- Flashlights, extra batteries, and portable phone chargers
- A battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio
- Prescription medications and basic first-aid supplies
- Copies of key documents, including insurance information
- Cash, since card readers and ATMs may not work during an outage
- Supplies for infants, pets, or family members with specific medical needs
Review your kit at least once a year. Replace expired food, medications, and batteries, and update clothing sizes or supplies as your household’s needs change.
National Preparedness Month encourages families to make an emergency plan, build an emergency supply kit, and understand the risks most relevant to where they live.
3. Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Your family emergency plan should account for the emergencies that start inside the home, too. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms provide an early warning, but only if they are working properly.
Use this home safety checklist for alarms:
- Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm monthly using the test button.
- Replace batteries according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Check the manufacturing date on each unit.
- Replace smoke alarms at the end of their service life, typically 10 years from the date of manufacture.
- Make sure everyone in the household recognizes the alarm sound and knows what to do when it activates.
- Practice a home-fire escape plan that includes two ways out of every room when possible.
The National Fire Protection Association advises testing alarms monthly and replacing smoke alarms every 10 years. Combination smoke/CO alarms may have a different recommended replacement interval, so check the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Review Your Home Security Emergency Plan
A security system is not just for break-ins. An integrated system can support a broader home safety plan through intrusion detection, app alerts, video, and monitored life-safety devices.
Consider these questions:
- Can you arm or disarm your system remotely if you leave quickly?
- Do you receive alerts when doors, windows, smoke detectors, or carbon monoxide detectors activate?
- Can you check your cameras or video doorbell from your phone during a power outage, evacuation, or trip?
- Does each family member have an appropriate user code?
- Is your current system professionally monitored, or does it only sound an alarm at the home?
With a monitored alarm system, signals from compatible burglary, smoke, and carbon monoxide devices can be sent to a monitoring center, which follows the response procedures associated with the account. This adds support when you are at work, traveling, asleep, or otherwise unable to respond immediately.
For families who want to combine protection and remote access, Fleenor’s home security systems can integrate professionally installed intrusion detection, mobile app control, and smart home features. Fleenor also offers home security cameras that provide smartphone alerts and live video options for visibility around your property.
5. Make Preparedness Part of Your Routine
Emergency preparedness does not need to happen all at once. Schedule one hour this month to update contact information, test alarms, refresh emergency supplies, and walk through your family’s plan.
Then, make the process part of your annual routine. A prepared household is one that knows what to do when the unexpected happens.
Take the Next Step Toward Preparedness
Emergency preparedness starts with simple steps: update your family plan, refresh supplies, test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and review your home’s security setup.
In East Tennessee, the anniversary of Hurricane Helene is a reminder that preparation can make a meaningful difference when conditions change.
A professionally monitored system can add support for burglary, fire, and carbon monoxide alerts. Are you ready to strengthen your plan? Contact Fleenor Security for a free home security evaluation today:
Knoxville: (865) 544-9964 | Johnson City: (800) 282-3755