This year, National Preparedness Month is unlike any other.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended routine behaviors, forcing Anne Arundel County emergency officials to update plans to include COVID-19 related gear such as masks, hand sanitizer and soap.

Go-kits, or bags packed with essentials to sustain you in a disaster or emergency, now need to account for the virus that has infected more than 100,000 Marylanders and killed more than 3,600. In addition to emergency food, water and prescriptions, kits should now include at least two face masks per person, hand sanitizer, hand soap, and other hygiene supplies to prevent the virus’s spread.

Throughout September, the county’s Office of Emergency Management under new Director Preeti Emrick is sharing tips and information on social media to prepare your household for any disaster or emergency. The recommendations include planning during a pandemic, vital paperwork to keep, how to care for pets during a disaster, at-risk populations and the economic impact of disasters.