America’s Prepareathon!: A Campaign to Build and Sustain National Preparedness
Tim Manning, Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness at FEMA and Dr. Rick Knabb, Director of the National Hurricane Center
(Washington, D.C., Friday September 11th, 2015) – A family emergency communication plan is critical to making sure the entire household knows who to contact, how to reach each other, and where to meet up in an emergency.
September 30 is National PrepareAthon! (prepare-a-thon) Day, so it’s a perfect time to take a few minutes and discuss an emergency plan with your family.
Tim Manning, Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness at FEMA, talked recently about the importance of having a family emergency communication plan.
MANNING:
PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY BY PREPARING FOR AN EMERGENCY STARTS WITH GOOD COMMUNICATION. NATIONAL PREPAREATHON! DAY IS A DAY DESIGNED TO PUT PREPAREDNESS INTO ACTION. FAMILIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE REVIEWING THEIR PLANS AND TAKING THE TIME TO PRACTICE. SO PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY SIGNS UP FOR LOCAL ALERTS AND WARNINGS. HAS A WALLET CARD WITH EMERGENCY NUMBERS AND AN OUT-OF-TOWN POINT OF CONTACT AND LASTLY, KNOWS HOW TO GET IN TOUCH WITH EACH OTHER—AND WHERE TO GO TO MEET UP. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS SUCH AS HOME, SCHOOL, OR WORK, WHEN A DISASTER STRIKES. ALL THE INFORMATION FAMILIES NEED IS AVAILABLE AT READY DOT GOV SLASH PREPARE.
Dr. Rick Knabb, Director of the National Hurricane Center, talked recently about taking steps now to prepare for emergencies.
KNABB:
HURRICANES USUALLY COME WITH SOME WARNING, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN PEOPLE SHOULD WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE IN A HURRICANE’S POTENTIAL PATH BEFORE TAKING STEPS TO PREPARE. DO WHAT I DO NOW WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT HURRICANE. FIND OUT YOUR EVACUATION ZONE AND HAVE AN EVACUATION PLAN. UPDATE YOUR INSURANCE – WHETHER YOU RENT OR OWN – AND INCLUDE FLOOD INSURANCE. SHOP FOR CRITICAL SUPPLIES, AND DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO STRENGTHEN YOUR HOME.
KNOWING WHAT TO DO BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES HELPS INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES STAY SAFE. GET STARTED TODAY AT READY DOT GOV SLASH PREPARE.