The guide first describes what the District of Columbia government has done to prepare for the event of a disaster, including the establishment of a permanent Emergency Preparedness Council, which provides a framework that supports the city's ongoing effort to develop preparedness policy and coordinate preparedness activities in the District. Various preparedness instructional and training events offered by the District government are listed. The guide then explains the two most common forms of emergency protective actions, namely, "shelter-in-place" and evacuation. "Shelter-in-place" involves staying in one's house or inside any other location sufficient to provide protection. Such a strategy is most often used when leaving one's house might lead to exposure to harmful agents that have been dispersed into the air. Evacuation is warranted when staying in one's house leads to greater danger than evacuating to a safer place. An evacuation map is provided to highlight the primary corridors identified as emergency event/evacuation routes for exiting the city. Detailed suggestions for what to do before an emergency strikes involves the creation of an emergency plan, the preparation of an Emergency Go Kit (a kit to take with the family in case of an evacuation), and what to do after an emergency occurs. In the latter instance, information covers a power outage, the existence of technological hazards, natural hazard emergencies, the need for clean water, emergency food supplies, and recovering from an emergency.