America’s PrepareAthon is a Campaign to Increase Preparedness
Tim Manning, Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness at FEMA & Dr. Rick Knabb, Director of The National Hurricane Center
(Washington, D.C., Thursday, May 12, 2016) – America’s PrepareAthon is a campaign to increase the number of individuals who understand which disasters could happen in their community, what to do to be safe and mitigate damage, and how to take action to increase their preparedness and participate in community resilience planning.
Hurricanes can happen quickly with very little warning, and the effects can be devastating if you’re not prepared. There are a few important things you can do right now to make sure you’re ready for a possible hurricane.
Tim Manning, Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness at FEMA, talked recently about the importance of having an emergency plan in place.
MANNING:
HURRICANES RARELY TAKE US BY SURPRISE. WEATHER FORECASTERS CAN USUALLY SEE THEM DEVELOPING OFF THE COAST HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY…AND THEY GENERALLY MOVE PRETTY SLOWLY. BUT WHEN THEY HIT, THE STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE ALL KINDS OF DAMAGE.
THERE ARE SOME SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ARE READY.
FIRST, IF YOU HAVE ONE, USE YOUR SMARTPHONE OR TABLET TO DOWNLOAD THE FEMA APP OR ANOTHER WEATHER APP FOR YOUR LOCAL AREA … AND MAKE SURE YOUR CELL PHONE RECEIVES WARNINGS FROM THE WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM.
SECOND, HAVE AN EMERGENCY “GO BAG” YOU CAN GRAB IF YOU HAVE TO EVACUATE QUICKLY. STOCK IT WITH THINGS LIKE CLOTHES, WATER, MEDICATION, SOME CASH AND A BACKUP CELL PHONE CHARGER.
AND LASTLY, KNOW YOUR EVACUATION ROUTE AHEAD OF TIME AND HAVE A BACK-UP IN CASE YOUR PRIMARY ROUTE IS BLOCKED. AND BE SURE TO LISTEN TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR EVACUATION ORDERS IN YOUR AREA.
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.
For more information please visit community.fema.gov.
The campaign is coordinated by FEMA in collaboration with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organization.