September is National Preparedness Month (NPM). This important initiative encourages everyone to make a plan in order to know what to do during an emergency. This year’s theme of “Prepared, Not Scared. Be Ready for Disasters" reminds us that we should all take action to prepare. We are all able to help first responders in our community by training on how to respond during an emergency and what to do when disaster strikes – where we live, work, and visit.
This is a nationwide, month-long effort started by the Ready Campaign https://www.ready.gov/september. September's NPM is in its 16th year, encouraging households, businesses, and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies. We never know when an emergency will take place, as witnessed in the past with Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, and currently with ongoing weather-related devastation and active shooter incidences across our country.
National Preparedness Month provides us with a great reminder to be proactive and be prepared because a disaster or emergency could have life-threatening implications.
Week 1: Sept 1-7 Save Early for Disaster Costs
- Check your insurance coverage and review the Document and Insure Property guide
- Visit Floodsmart.gov to learn more about flood insurance and how to protect your home or business
- Plan financially for the possibility of disaster
Week 2: Sept 8-14 Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters
- Make an Emergency Plan and practice it!
- Learn your evacuation zone and have an evacuation plan
- Locally, Dial 9-1-1 in an emergency
- Sign up for alerts and warnings in your area: NY Alert: https://alert.ny.gov/
- Ulster County webpage: https://ulstercountyny.gov/
- National Weather Service: https://www.weather.gov/
- Hudson Valley Weather: https://hudsonvalleyweather.com/
Week 3: Sept 15-21 Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters
- Teach children what to do in an emergency if they are at home or away from home: ready.gov/kids
- Help your kids to learn how to communicate during an emergency.
Review these topics with them:
Sending text messages
Emergency contact numbers
Dialing 9-1-1 for help
Week 4: Sept 22-30 Get Involved in Your Community’s Preparedness
- Take classes in lifesaving skills, such as CPR/AED and first aid, or in emergency response. Visit www.redcross.org for details.
- Join an Emergency Response Team in your community, donate to a reputable organization of your choice, and volunteer to respond to disasters and help your fellow Americans. Visit NVOAD.org to learn more.
- Teach preparedness curriculum in your school. Download everything you need for grades K-12 through the Ready Kids program.
- Promote preparedness online by sharing preparedness tips on your social media account with Ready’s online social media toolkit or public service announcements.
- Take a free online independent study course through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and gain more knowledge to help your community become more prepared.
- Check-in with neighbors to help each other out before and after a storm.
https://www.ready.gov/get-involved
- Ulster County Department of Health ServNY Volunteer Registry seeks health and mental health professionals to serve as volunteers in the event of a declared Ulster County emergency: https://apps.health.ny.gov/pub/servny/ to sign up or call 845-334-5538 for details.
Source:
Ready - https://www.ready.gov/
