- Each year, FEMA’s Ready Campaign promotes Resolve to
be Ready, a public awareness drive that encourages
individuals and community leaders to make the resolution
to put together a family communications plan, and take
other simple steps to be prepared.
- Roughly half of all Americans make New Year’s
resolutions and commit to improving their lifestyles or
reaching a long-term goal. This year, why not make a
resolution that is easy to keep – and can save lives and
protect property. For 2012, Resolve to be Ready for
emergencies by taking simple steps to prepare your
family, your home, your business, and your community in
the face of potential disaster.
- 2011 has seen more billion-dollar natural disasters
than any year on record, according to the National
Climatic Data Center. Major storms from Hurricane Irene,
which battered the U.S. East Coast, to the spring
tornadoes which brought devastation from Wisconsin to
Texas, we don’t know where or when emergencies or
disasters will strike. During the first 11 months of
this year there have been 97 major disasters declared.
- Now is the time to think about basic needs you, your
family and your pets will need in advance of an
emergency; how will you communicate, what supplies you
need to keep in your home, car or office. The more you
know about what to do in an emergency, the more
confident and secure you will feel in your abilities to
manage through a disaster.
- You can start by taking these simple steps:
- Be informed. Know the hazards and risks in your
area. And learn what you need to do to get ready for
them
- Make a family emergency plan, so you know how
you would communicate with and find your loved ones
if a disaster hit. For example, think about how you
would reach your kids at school. Your spouse at
work. If you had to evacuate, where would you go.
Thinking this through in advance will make a big
difference.
- Build an emergency supply kit – both at home and
in the car – that includes water, food and first aid
supplies to help you survive if you lose power or
get stranded in your car. This is especially
important for dealing with icy roads and snowstorms
this winter.
- Get Involved - Be an advocate and educator for
safety and emergency preparedness within your
community. Contact your local Citizen Corps.
- Using modern-day technology can help individuals and
families prepare, adapt and recover from disruptions
brought on by emergencies or disasters. FEMA reminds all
Americans to implement the following in advance of an
emergency:
- Learn how to send updates via text and internet
from your mobile phone to your contacts and social
channels in case voice communications are not
available;
- Store your important documents such as personal
and financial records in the cloud or on a secure
and remote area or flash or jump drive that you can
keep readily available so they can be accessed from
anywhere; and
- Create an Emergency Information Document at
Ready.gov by using the Family Emergency Plan
template in Google Docs or by downloading the Ready
Family Emergency Plan to record your emergency
plans.
- History has shown us that the government can’t do it
alone when it comes to preparing for, responding to, and
recovering from disasters. FEMA is only part of our
nation’s emergency management team – along with our
other federal partners, state and local governments,
non-profit and voluntary organizations, the private
sector and most importantly: the public.
- So this year, as you think about this New Year’s
resolutions, why not make a pledge to and Resolve to be
Ready. Learn how at
www.Ready.gov/Resolve.
- Join us in spreading the word to your loved ones and
encouraging them to Resolve to be Ready in 2012. Anyone
can learn more by visiting Ready.gov or Listo.gov.
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