911 for everything, 988 for a mental health crisis, and think before you call an ambulance you will be billed thousands for.
- 911 is one number for everything and works from any phone, including one with no SIM, no service or a locked screen.
- They ask for your location first - know the street, the cross street, the city and the state, because dispatch centres near borders handle both sides.
- 988 is the one people do not know about, for a mental health or suicide crisis, by call or text; poison control is 1-800-222-1222.
- Think before calling an ambulance for something minor: a ground ambulance is USD 500 to USD 3,000 plus mileage, billed to you and often outside surprise-billing protections. For a real emergency call 911 and worry later.
- Wireless Emergency Alerts push tornado, flash flood and evacuation warnings to your phone - do not switch them off, and treat evacuation orders as orders, because the roads stop working shortly afterwards.
The numbers
| What | Number |
|---|---|
| Police, fire, ambulance | 911 |
| Mental health or suicide crisis | 988, call or text |
| Poison control | 1-800-222-1222 |
| Non-emergency police | 311 in most large cities |
- 911 works from any phone, including one with no SIM and no service, and including a locked phone.
- It is one number for everything. Tell the dispatcher which service you need.
- They will ask for your location first. Know the street, the cross street, the city and the state. The state matters, because dispatch centres near borders handle both.
- 988 is the one people do not know about, and it is genuinely useful. Call or text.
Before you call an ambulance
This is unusual advice and it belongs in an American guide.
- A ground ambulance costs USD 500 to USD 3,000 plus mileage, is billed to you, and is often not covered by surprise-billing protections.
- If it is a real emergency, call 911 and worry about it later. Chest pain, stroke symptoms, serious bleeding, breathing difficulty.
- If it is not, a taxi or rideshare to an urgent care clinic is a legitimate choice that Americans make constantly.
- Urgent care, not the emergency room, for anything that is not life-threatening.
Practicalities
- Report theft to the police and get the report number. No insurer pays without it, and getting one after you have flown home is close to impossible.
- Photograph your passport, visa or ESTA approval, and insurance policy, and keep copies somewhere separate.
- If you lose your passport, report it to the police, then contact your embassy or consulate. Most countries have consulates in several US cities, not only Washington.
- Save your insurer's 24-hour line offline with the international dialling code.
Weather emergencies
- Wireless Emergency Alerts are pushed to your phone automatically for tornadoes, flash floods and evacuation orders. Do not switch them off.
- The National Weather Service is the authority, not a weather app.
- Evacuation orders are not advisory. In hurricane and wildfire zones, leave when told, because the roads stop working shortly afterwards.
- Hurricane season is June to November and peaks now, in August through October, on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.
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