SEPTEMBER is NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH
Preparedness is necessary all year!
September was National Preparedness Month (NPM) which is to remind everyone that it is extremely important to prepare for emergencies and disasters. If you've seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities just like yours, to people like you. We've seen tornado outbreaks, river floods and flash floods, wildfires, historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and even water main breaks and power outages in U.S. cities affection millions of people for days at a time.
Police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly in an emergency or disaster. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.
This year and every year, please prepare and plan in the event you must go for three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Just follow these four steps:
For help with all of the above there are great resources available at the preparedness sites below:
ready.gov
Michigan Prepares
American Red Cross Plan & Prepare
do1thing
Michigan Region 6 Preparedness Site
National Weather Service: Weather Emergency Preparedness
Police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly in an emergency or disaster. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.
This year and every year, please prepare and plan in the event you must go for three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Just follow these four steps:
- Stay Informed: Information is available from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial resources.
- Make a Plan: Discuss, agree on, and document an emergency plan with those in your care. Work together with neighbors, colleagues, and others to build community resilience.
- Build a Kit: Keep enough emergency supplies - water, nonperishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, and battery-powered radio on hand - for you and those in your care.
- Get Involved: There are many ways to get involved especially before a disaster occurs. The whole community can participate in programs and activities to make their families, homes and places of worship safer from risks and threats. Community leaders agree that the formula for ensuring a safer homeland consists of volunteers, a trained and informed public, and increased support of emergency response agencies during disasters.
- FOR MECOSTA COUNTY EMERGENCY ALERTS, ADVISORIES AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION: GO TO http://www.nixle.com/ AND ENTER YOUR MECOSTA COUNTY ZIP CODE TO VIEW MESSAGES FROM EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS. SIGN UP TO RECEIVE ISSUED ALERTS AND INFORMATION BY TEXT AND EMAIL.
For help with all of the above there are great resources available at the preparedness sites below:
ready.gov
Michigan Prepares
American Red Cross Plan & Prepare
do1thing
Michigan Region 6 Preparedness Site
National Weather Service: Weather Emergency Preparedness