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Throughout
September, National Preparedness Month highlights hazard-focused themes leading up
to the September 30 National PrepareAthon! Day.
Flood
is the theme for Week 1 (September 1-5). During this time, talk with your
family about flooding. Learn how to take action for this common hazard by using
the How to Prepare for a
Flood guide from America’s
PrepareAthon! It is particularly important to be prepared if
you live in a low-lying area near a body of water such as a river or stream;
along a coast; or downstream from a dam or levee. The How to Prepare for a Flood guide outlines ways to protect yourself
and your property before a flood threatens your community.
You
can reduce the risk of damage to your home by:
- Elevating critical utilities such as electrical panels, appliances, wiring, and heating systems;
- Waterproofing your basement and installing a water alarm; and
- Clearing debris from downspouts and gutters.
Purchasing
flood insurance can help
you manage any damage that might occur to your home. Just remember, there is typically a 30-day waiting
period for the policy to take effect.
Be sure to follow instructions from officials
for community evacuation or seek higher ground for localized flooding.
One of the ways to protect yourself and your family is to evacuate early to
avoid being trapped in floodwaters.
Share
flood preparedness messages with your family and friends using the 2015 National
Preparedness Month Digital Engagement Toolkit.
The
American Red Cross and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) serve
communities throughout the United States in a variety of ways before, during,
and after emergencies. But while both programs accomplish a great deal
individually, they can do even more when they work together. As partners, CERT
and American Red Cross programs and volunteers can work to advance their mutual
goals of increasing the preparedness and resilience of local neighborhoods and
communities and offering vital assistance and support in the aftermath of
disasters.
The FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Division invites you to join
a webinar that showcases successful partnerships between local American Red Cross regions
and CERT programs. Three sets of American Red Cross
and CERT programs serving three unique jurisdictions
will discuss how they are working together to make their communities safer,
stronger, and more resilient. Presenters will share how they established their
partnerships, what lessons they learned from the experience, and how their
collaboration benefitted their programs and communities. The webinar will
conclude with a question and answer session.
Title: Local
Partnerships Between the American Red Cross and CERT
Date: Wednesday,
September 9, 2015
Time: 3:00 -
4:30 p.m. (ET)
This webinar will feature American Red Cross and CERT
guest speakers from the following jurisdictions:
- Delaware County, PA
- Denver, CO
- Detroit, MI
How to Join the Webinar:
We
hope that you will be able to join us on September 9! If you can’t make it, we
will post the recording, transcript, and slide deck of the presentation
on this page, under “Citizen Corps Partners/Affiliates”: http://www.ready.gov/preparedness-leader/webinar-library. You can also
view our most recent webinar on including people with disabilities and others
with access and functional needs in CERT training at: https://icpd.adobeconnect.com/p1onuoh5wic/.
Are you a new or expecting mother? Join a special Twitter chat on Thursday, September 3,
at 1 PM ET. Hear from experts at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and
more as they discuss ways for pregnant women and new moms to keep their babies
healthy before, during, and after an emergency.
Topics will include:
- Specific items for your emergency kit and plan;
- Steps pregnant woman and new moms can take to keep their families safe;
- Recognizing and coping with stress; and
- Protecting your baby from contaminated water and other hazards.
The Twitter
chat is hosted by the Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response (@PHEgov),
and Administration for Children and
Families (@OHSEPR).
Follow along or join the conversation
using #Prep4Moms.
Make
preparedness fun for the entire family by taking the "30 Days, 30 Ways Challenge" in support of National Prepearedness
Month and leading up to National PrepareAthon! Day. This month-long preparedness game began in
2010 by the Clark Regional
Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) in Vancouver, Washington to
encourage people to complete one simple task each day to enhance their personal
preparedness.
Get
game rules,
daily tasks, and other information about this fun and engaging challenge by
visiting: www.30days30ways.com. You
can also check out this video
to learn more.
Game
time starts September 1, 2015. As you complete your tasks, be sure to add them
to the America’s PrepareAthon! website
to be counted as a participant in this national effort for action to get people
better prepared for emergencies.
Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the
federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster
preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events,
entities, organizations, services or products. Please let us know about other events
and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included
in future newsletters by contacting citizencorps@fema.dhs.gov.
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