FEMA Reminds Americans That Readiness Must Continue All Year Long

It is always better to be prepared to face any kind of disaster rather than suffering the pain

FEMA reminds citizens that emergency preparedness is important throughout the year for life's safety.

As the seventh annual National Preparedness Month (NPM) comes to an end, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to remind citizens of the importance of emergency preparedness throughout the year. NPM, sponsored by the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, is held each September. NPM encourages Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities.

This year, more than 4,800 organizations joined the Ready Campaign as NPM Coalition Members, committing to promote emergency preparedness by hosting events and other activities in their communities. Coalition Members encourage the public to create a family plan, get an emergency kit and be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur in their area and their appropriate responses. This year's campaign also reached out to more than three million employees in the business community, 2,445 Citizen Corps Councils, 3,514 Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), 27 Citizen Corps partners and affiliates, and countless individuals and families across the nation. These partners worked to bring government and community leaders together to involve citizens in all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience.

"We made important strides during National Preparedness Month this year, reaching more Americans than ever before. But the real test is: Are we better prepared?" said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "We all know that emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere, and we need to continue to focus each and every day on getting the public ready and aware of all hazards. The public is an essential member of the nation's emergency management team and preparedness is crucial to the success of any emergency response. The more prepared we are now, the better off we'll be after disaster strikes."

Activities during the 2010 National Preparedness Month included:

• President Obama, the U.S. Army, 25 states and countless counties and cities issued proclamations urging all Americans to take time to prepare a family emergency plan, get an emergency supply kit and learn more about the types of disasters that might happen in their areas.
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed Resolution #1618 and the U.S. Senate passed Resolution #625 proclaiming September as National Preparedness Month.
• The Ready Campaign launched new PSAs targeted to the general public, and unveiled new video and print PSA's targeted toward the Hispanic market. The PSAs direct audiences to Ready  or Listo where they can find tools and resources to prepare. Those PSAs can be found at the following link.
• FEMA's Citizen Corps announced the winners of the 2010 National Citizen Corps Achievement Awards recognizing innovative practices and achievements of Citizen Corps Councils and individuals across the nation.
• FEMA's Citizen Corps, along with the U.S. Department of Education and the American Red Cross held the National Summit on Youth Preparedness, bringing together experts and authorities to develop a framework for a national strategy on grades K-12 preparedness education.
• The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security led interviews with a broad range of media across different regions of the U.S., which featured participation from additional FEMA leadership. These interviews combined helped reach more than 38 million people.
• Coalition Members posted more than 700 events on the National Preparedness Month calendar, spearheading activities that encourage specific steps for individual, neighborhood and community preparedness in every state and territory.
• FEMA Regional Administrators and staff worked with state partners and attended regional fairs, conferences and meetings to promote personal preparedness and strengthen partnerships.
• FEMA's Private Sector Division sponsored 40 initiatives on business preparedness around the country, working with Target, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and many others to communicate preparedness information to more than three million employees.
• FEMA's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination hosted "Getting Real - The 2010 Inclusive Emergency Management National Capacity Building Training Conference." This three-day interactive training conference brought disability and emergency management community leaders together from across the country to build national capacity for inclusive emergency management practices.