Broken glass scatters farther than you'd think. Clear the room, put on shoes, and keep kids and pets in another part of the house until it's cleaned up.
Wear thick gloves and drop shards into a cardboard box, not a thin trash bag. Use a damp paper towel to lift the tiny slivers off the floor and sill.
Tape a piece of cardboard or a thick trash bag over the hole to slow wind and rain. This is temporary. It won't hold against a determined push or a real storm.
If it's night, the window faces the street, or weather is coming in, ask for an emergency board-up so your home is secure until the glass goes in.
Windows break for all kinds of reasons: a stray ball, a slammed door that rattles an old sash, a break-in attempt, or a branch coming down in a wind event. In Monterey's older housing stock, especially the single-pane sashes you still find around Downtown and East Monterey, the glass can be thin and brittle, so it goes fast.
When a glazier arrives, they'll clear the remaining glass safely, measure the opening, and secure it with a solid board-up if the replacement glass isn't on the truck. For common home window sizes, they can often cut and set new glass on the spot. For larger panes or tempered glass, they'll board it up and schedule the glass to come in.
Treat it as urgent if the opening is at ground level, faces the street, or is exposed to weather. An open window is an easy way in and an easy way for rain and cold coastal air to get inside. A board-up buys you a secure, dry home the same day, whether you're in The Gulch, Belle Meade, or out toward Antioch and Bellevue.
Describe what you're seeing to a real Monterey glazier: call (615) 555-0195 or send the form. Free, no obligation.