General
Responding to the event is about basically dealing with anything that comes up. If you’ve been diligent about your mitigation and preparation, this will hopefully be manageable. If you haven’t, it could get a bit exciting.
The first thing to remember is personal safety. Property can be replaced. People not so much. So you don’t want to take unnecessary risks.
The second thing to remember is that these events don’t last forever. They might feel that way, particularly if you’re on edge. But they pass.
Basic Skills
Obviously, response will largely be handled by trained professionals. That being said, you may want to build up and practice some basic skills. These will depend on your circumstances and the situation you find yourself in, but we need to keep two things in mind. First, we may need to get ourselves out of a situation quickly. Second, while we might prefer that the first response groups handle things, they may be delayed due to demand or conditions.
Keep your kits ready
Keep your emergency kits and vital documents (if any) prepared and ready to go and close at hand. If things do go sideways on you, you don’t want to be digging around the house looking for things.
Keep devices charged up and ready to go. That being said, if you’re charging phones or anything else sensitive, make sure it’s on a surge protector (a good one). This also applies to things like radios and emergency lights.
Keep yourself ready
If there’s a possibility that you will need to move. Make sure you have the main things already in the car or truck and ready to go. Also, make a list of what you’ve already packed.
If you have pets, now is not the time to let them out unless they are under control. If you need to move, you may not be able to gather pets and the like if they are roaming free. Keep them under control and ready (with their own kits for food, water, etc.).