Wichita and Sedgwick County officials are urging people to be ready for severe weather with an outbreak of storms expected on Saturday.

Evergy has steps for residents to take to be prepared:

• Monitor weather conditions in your area for potential storms.
• Assemble an emergency kit for your home, workplace and vehicle in an easy-to-carry container or bag stocked with:
  • Water
  • Non-perishable food
  • Prescription medications
  • Fresh batteries
  • Battery-powered radio
  • Flashlight
  • First aid kit
  • Cell phone charger or power bank
• Keep cell phones and other necessary electronics charged.
• Fill up your vehicle with gas ahead of time.
• Establish a shelter plan with your family, so everyone knows where to go in the event of severe weather.
• If you have family, friends or neighbors who live alone or are elderly, establish a communication plan to check on their wellbeing.
• Don’t venture out if you don’t need to. However, if you know it’s not safe for you or another member of your household to wait for power to be restored, have a plan to go someplace safe.
• If you rely on electronic medical equipment, have a plan in case a large storm causes extended outages. Enrollment in the Evergy medical customer program can provide additional communication during storms.
• If tree limbs are touching or near power lines, don’t come into contact with them. Being in contact with a tree limb that touches a power line could result in severe injury or even be fatal. Downed trees are a primary cause of outages during storms.

Sedgwick County Emergency Management said it’s not safe to be in a car during severe storms, and there are some things to keep in mind if you’re away from home:

• Always make a plan before you leave the house. Do some research on where the nearest shelter is.
• Try to get into a sturdy structure if you’re outside. Avoid buildings with large windows.
• Do not stop under an overpass if you’re out driving. Stopping can create a roadblock and could cause a crash.
• If there’s severe weather when driving, the best thing to do is to get off the highway and find a safe place to park until the storm passes.