Hello, all! Long time, no chat. It will still be a bit before I sit down and write a catch-up post, but I can’t let September go by without sharing about emergency preparedness!
Here in the United States, September is National Preparedness Month. That means that our emergency preparedness agencies are trying to provide information that can be used at the household and community organization level to help create resilience and mitigate risk. This year’s theme is “Prepare to Protect” – and frankly, I love it. The concept that “preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love” is one I’ve espoused for many, many years now. (So much so that some friends and family are probably tired of hearing it. HAHA!)
Each week there are tasks that you can do that fall in line with FEMA’s Ready Campaign, and this year they’ve even dedicated a week to low and no-cost preparedness ideas. Oooo, it’s like someone over there has been reading my mind (or my articles)!
Here’s the first theme:
Week 1 September 1-4: Make A Plan
Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster. Make sure to update your plan based on the Centers for Disease Control recommendations due to the Coronavirus.
To learn more about creating a communication plan, check out this page, which breaks down making a plan and includes a link to a PDF specifically about communication issues (and wallet cards and reference sheets for your emergency kit or even fridge door). This past spring I taught a teen emergency preparedness course for our homeschool co-op and was thrilled with how well the kids did on this task. It’s especially important to have important numbers written down since so many people now rely on cell phones for communication – we no longer have to memorize and actually dial the phone to call our loved ones! A wallet card can be handy when your “emergency” is just a dead phone battery when you need to call the dentist due to a cracked tooth at work. Just a little thought.
Until next time – stay safe out there, and check out the resources above to see how you can help protect you and yours.