Secretary Ridge reviewed the efforts taken by the Department of Homeland Security to increase the level of preparedness in America at the Council for Excellence in Government, "Our efforts at Homeland have been concentrated on the work of the Ready Campaign and the Citizen Corps. Over the past two years, it's not an exaggeration to say that Ready has truly taken off and, frankly, has greatly exceeded our expectations and we've just begun. From coast to coast, 58 percent of Americans have taken at least one step to prepare their homes and their families. Obviously, taking three steps at a minimum, but we've got to crawl before we walk and obviously, we've got to take the first step before we can take the second or third.

We want them to put together that emergency kit, have that communication plan, and just, as a good citizen, stay informed. A great help in spreading the Ready message has been the Citizen Corps with over 1500 councils delivering the preparedness message to countless communities and individuals. We've made a tremendous start with both of these initiatives, Ready and Citizen Corps, but it's only just a start."

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