September is National Preparedness Month

As part of National Preparedness Month, FEMA’s Ready Campaign and the Ad Council promote being “Prepared, Not Scared” in new PSAs and online videos that promote the importance of preparing children and teenagers for possible emergencies and disasters.  Involving young people in preparedness efforts can help youth, families, and communities be prepared and able to respond when faced with disasters.
 

Production partner Newfangled Studios created pro bono TV, digital and out-of-home ads. FEMA is also teaming up with Sony’s “Zombieland 2: Double Tap” to promote the crucial message of emergency preparedness.
 

This preparedness effort by the Ready Campaign follows 16 years of educating the American public about disaster and emergency preparedness. In that time, $1.6 billion in donated media enabled the campaign to reach millions of Americans and encouraged more than 100 million visits to the campaign’s website, Ready.gov.
 

To view and download all of the Ready Campaign’s PSAs, visit the Ad Council website.  Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema.

National Preparedness Month (NPM) has weekly themes each year.  This year's themes are:

Week 1: Sept. 1-7, Save Early for Disaster Costs

• Keep some cash on-hand in case of emergencies
• Buy flood insurance; most homeowners' and renters' insurance does not cover flood insurance
• Snap photos of important documents and personal belongings to help you quickly file an insurance claim

Week 2: Sept. 8-14, Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters

• Practice evacuating with pets so everyone has practice
• Sign up for SMCAlert so you are set to receive notifications from the City in the event of an emergency
• Build an emergency kit, making sure to have enough food, water, and meds to last for at least 3-7 days

Week 3: Sept. 15-21, Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters

• Include kids in the disaster planning process and review your plan together.
• Review with kids: Sending text messages, contact numbers and dialing 9-1-1 for emergencies.
• Teach children what to do in an emergency if they are at home or away.
• Add your kids' school's social media info to the family communication plan.

Week 4: Sept. 22-30, Get Involved in your Community's Preparedness

• Check in with neighbors to see how you can help each other before and after a disaster.
• Take classes in life savings skills, such as CPR/AED and First Aid to help others.  A Disaster Preparedness Class is being held on Saturday, 9/28 at Serramonte Library, a Basic First Aid Class is being offered on 10/12 at Brisbane Station 81, and a CPR & AED Training Class is being offered on 10/12, also at Station 81. 
• You Are the Help Until Help Arrives, designed by FEMA, are trainings that can be taken online or in-person, where you learn through simple steps how to save a life before a professional arrives.
• Take a free online independent study course through FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and gain more knowledge to help your community become more prepared.