Be Disaster Aware. Take Action to Prepare

CHICAGO –September is National Preparedness Month, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages everyone to make disaster preparedness a priority.

“National Preparedness Month serves as a reminder that we all need to prepare for disasters and emergencies,” said FEMA Region V acting regional administrator, Janet Odeshoo. “Make disaster readiness manageable by taking one step at a time— start by learning your specific risk, then gather supplies for an emergency kit, and finally develop a family communications plan. By taking these small, but critical, steps, over time you can be prepared for disasters.”

Severe weather and other emergencies can strike with little or no warning and can have disastrous impacts. Already this year, the Midwest has experienced several waves of destructive severe storms, including the severe flooding in parts of Minnesota. Additionally, other parts of the country are currently fighting flooding and other emergencies that threaten the infrastructure people depend on every day. Whether at home or on the go, everyone should learn the steps necessary to make preparedness part of their everyday life.

“As a nation we are seeing disasters increase in their size and complexity, and they are occurring with greater frequency,” said Odeshoo. “The impacts of these events are a reminder that everyone should be prepared for the hazards faced in their communities or even while traveling. Make preparedness a priority for your family today and help encourage a culture of preparedness in your community.”

Throughout the month, FEMA will offer tips to help you be disaster ready, including ways you can stay safe during a disaster and steps you can take to protect yourself and your family when traveling. Follow FEMA Region V online at twitter.com/femaregion5 and http://www.facebook.com/fema, to receive the latest preparedness updates.

For detailed information about how to be ready for severe weather in your area, including a list of items you will want to have in your emergency kit, visit http://www.ready.gov/, or our Spanish site at http://www.listo.gov.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Follow FEMA online at twitter.com/femaregion5, http://www.facebook.com/fema, and http://www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.