Emergency Preparedness Week runs from May 5 to 11 this year, and city and county officials say for those who have never taken it to heart the time to act is now.
This year's theme is "Plan for Every Season" and officials say it embodies the challenges residents in Windsor-Essex face on a seasonal basis.
Dealing with things like spring storms and flooding, to summer heatwaves and high winds, to winter snow and ice, there's no shortage of reasons to plan to protect your family and property.
Officials say there are ways to prepare such as making an emergency plan, building an emergency kit to keep you and your family safe until emergency responders can reach you, and personalizing your kit to suit the needs of your family.
Emily Bertram, Emergency Planning Officer with Windsor Fire and Rescue Services, says it's important to prepare for every season.
"We really want people to focus on the different things that they could face each season. So coming up we've got flooding that's possible, tornadoes, whether it's just a really bad thunderstorm. And you can do various things to prepare for those."
She says families should have an emergency plan set up.
"Things such as making sure that you know where your insurance information is, contact information for family, for children's schools, for utility companies, making sure that you have that information is really important and that during an emergency you know where to find it."
Bertram says having a kit ready can save time in an emergency situation.
"There's various things that you can put in that kit, whether it's canned goods, whether it's old clothing, a really important one is making sure that you've got those documents such as insurance - your insurance information - and knowing where that is during an emergency."
Bertram encourages Windsor residents, or those who work in the city, to sign up for the Windsor Alerts program. The alert service is free, and provides event updates, warnings, and instructions during times of crisis on any electronic device you register.
Other municipalities are taking part in the week. The Lakeshore Fire Department states they will focus on educating citizens by sharing emergency preparedness tips as well as resources and educational material through social media and online.