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By Darryl J. Madden,
Director, Ready Campaign
This September will mark the ten year anniversary
of 9/11 and we ask you to take time to remember those lost as well as
time to make sure you are prepared for future emergencies. September
is National Preparedness Month (NPM), which was founded after 9/11 to
increase preparedness in the U.S. It is a time to prepare yourself and
those in your care for an unexpected emergency.
Emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere. If
you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen
unexpectedly in communities and families just like yours. This
September, please prepare in the event your family must go for a few
days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket or
local services. Just follow these three steps: Get a Kit. Make a Plan.
Be informed.
Get a Kit
Keep enough emergency supplies on hand for your
family – water, non-perishable food, first aid, prescriptions,
flashlight, and a battery-powered radio. See the checklist
here. If you own pets,
remember to include their food and supplies in your supply kit. The
Ready Kids family-friendly website (Ready.gov/kids)
features instructions on what families and teachers can do to prepare
for emergencies and the role kids can play in that effort. Spanish
material is available at Listo Niños (Listo.gov).
Make a Plan
Discuss and agree on an emergency plan with your
family. You can
download it from our website.
Be Informed
In addition to the
Ready.gov site, free
information is available from federal, state, local, tribal, and
territorial resources to assist you. Contact your local emergency
management agencies to get details on specific hazards in your area,
local plans for shelter and evacuation, ways to get specific
information before and during an emergency, and how to sign up to
receive emergency alerts if they are available.
Consider planning a Ready Kids event in your
community to encourage other families to remember, and prepare. Sample
activities that are great for schools, scouts and other youth groups
include:
• Helping Girl Scouts & Boy Scout work towards achieving their new
Preparedness Patch
• Volunteering to present preparedness information in your child’s
class or in PTO/PTA meetings
• Inviting officials from your local Office of Emergency Management,
Citizen Corps Council, or first responder teams to speak at schools or
youth events
As FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate reminds us,
"Individuals and families are the most important members of the
nation's emergency management team. Being prepared can save precious
time if there is a need to respond to an emergency."
For more information on National Preparedness Month
and for help getting your family, business or community prepared,
visit Ready.gov or call
1-800-BE-READY, 1-888-SE-LISTO, and TTY 1-800-462-7585.
Last updated
Wednesday January 11, 2012 03:08 PM |
