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October 5, 2007
Contact: Office of the Homeland Security Press Secretary, 202-282-8010
DHS DECLARES FOURTH ANNUAL NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH MOST SUCCESSFUL READY EFFORT TO DATE
1,800 National and Regional Organizations Joined DHS During September
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that a record number of national, regional, state, and local organizations participated in its fourth annual National Preparedness Month (NPM). More than 1,800 NPM coalition members coordinated at least 1,000 events and activities across America, reaching individuals, families, and diverse communities with the message of emergency preparedness.
"This coordinated effort helps to serve as an important reminder to millions of individuals to take steps to prepare," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "The large involvement from the public in National Preparedness Month 2007 reinforces the fact that a greater proportion of Americans are recognizing the need for personal responsibility in preparing for emergencies before they happen. However, this preparedness message must continue year-round to everyone in America."
DHS's Citizen Corps and its program partners offered preparedness trainings and education, as well as opportunities for citizens to engage in efforts in their local communities. For the first time, National Preparedness Month was broken into four theme areas.
Sample events are listed below by theme area:
Preparedness for Kids
- The state of Alabama held three Be Ready Camps, an educational experience for sixth-grade students focused on building preparedness skills for all types of disasters.
- The Farmington Hills, Michigan Emergency Preparedness Commission (EPC) held its inaugural Emergency Preparedness Essay Contest for fifth and eighth grade students.
Business Preparedness
- San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles, Calif., each hosted events to encourage and educate business representatives from public and private organizations on ways to partner to respond to natural and man-made disasters.
- The Fresno Fire Department in California conducted a fire and life safety inspection for local business owners and distributed information on how to prepare their businesses and employees for emergencies.
Multicultural Preparedness
- Neighbors in the West Adams Neighborhood Council area in Los Angeles, Calif., including Vineyard Recreation Center, CLASS Parks, and JBAC-LA Block Club hosted a Celebrate Diversity National Neighborhood Day, where participants learned more about preparedness and built emergency supply kits.
- The City of Orlando, Florida Office of Emergency Management and Citizen Corps program hosted and presented an Emergency Preparedness Workshop to the Hispanic-American Professional and Business Women’s Association (HAPBWA).
Home and Family Preparedness
- The Utah Foster Care Foundation hosted its first annual emergency preparedness fair. Attendees put together an emergency kit for their families.
- The Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (ODMRDD) developed and launched a two-hour Emergency Preparedness training class, as part of ODMRDD’s overall training program.
For a recap of additional events and activities that took place during September, visit the National Preparedness Month Journal at www.ready.gov.
Ready is a national public service advertising campaign produced by The Advertising Council in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security. The Ready Campaign is designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. Individuals interested in more information about family, business and community preparedness can visit www.ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY to receive free materials.
Citizen Corps brings together community, emergency and government leaders to involve community members in emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response and recovery. Through Citizen Corps and its program partners and affiliates, individuals can find training and volunteer opportunities to support first responders in an emergency. To learn more and to get involved, contact your nearest Citizen Corps Council by visiting www.citizencorps.gov.
National Preparedness Month events and activities are voluntary. DHS is not financially obligated to any National Preparedness Month Coalition Member. For more information about National Preparedness Month, visit www.ready.gov.
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August 31, 2007
Contact: Office of the Homeland Security Press Secretary, 202-282-8010
MORE THAN 1,700 ORGANIZATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN FOURTH ANNUAL HOMELAND SECURITY NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH
Record Number of Coalition Members to Host Events and Activities Nationwide
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that more than 1,700 national, regional, state, and local organizations will support the department by participating in National Preparedness Month 2007. This campaign occurs annually in September, and encourages Americans to prepare for all types of emergencies in their homes, businesses, schools, and communities. DHS promotes individual emergency preparedness through the Ready Campaign and the department's Citizen Corps Program throughout the year.
"Too many individuals remain in a state of denial when it comes to personal preparedness," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Able-bodied Americans need to be prepared to take care of themselves and their families after an emergency, so that first responders can focus on those who need assistance most. With the help of our coalition members, we encourage Americans to get an emergency supply kit, make a family communications plan, and be informed about the different types of emergencies that may affect them."
During September, Coalition Members will share preparedness information with their members, customers, employees, and communities. National Preparedness Month activities taking place throughout September (for a complete list of events, visit www.ready.gov) include:
- In New York City, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will kick off National Preparedness Month with the New York City Citizen Corps Council at seven locations throughout the five boroughs. Various city and community partners will be stationed near major transit hubs to distribute copies of the Ready New York pocket-size preparedness guide, part of OEM's Ready New York Campaign, and educate New Yorkers about ways to prepare for emergencies. Ready New York ads will appear during the month on subways, local newspapers, bus shelters, supermarket circulars, and sanitation trucks. Later in September, OEM will debut its much-anticipated Ready New York for kids guide, which will be distributed to all New York City public school students.
- In an effort to prepare citizens for emergencies, Be Ready Alabama is coordinating youth "Be Ready Camps" focused on building preparedness skills and a "Be Ready Sunday" for faith-based organizations across the state to deliver preparedness messages. In addition, there will be a statewide event called "Be Ready Day" which will educate and train individuals on preparing for emergencies, volunteer opportunities in the communities, and first responders' preparedness and response capabilities.
- Several California cities including San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara will host regional business preparedness events during National Preparedness Month's Business Preparedness Week. These events will offer California business owners and managers guidance on how to develop a business emergency plan that can help secure their employees, operations and assets.
- To promote emergency preparedness in the workplace, Wal-Mart will broadcast Ready Campaign public service announcements on its internal television and radio network in all its United States stores throughout the month of September.
Senate Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Joe Lieberman and Ranking Member Susan Collins, and House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson and Ranking Member Peter King are serving as honorary Congressional co-chairs of National Preparedness Month 2007 and are leading the effort on Capitol Hill to increase public awareness on the importance of emergency preparedness.
For the first time, National Preparedness Month is focusing on different areas of emergency preparedness.
- September 1-8: Back-to-School (Ready Kids)
- September 9-15: Business preparedness (Ready Business)
- September 16-22: Multicultural preparedness (Listo)
- September 23-30: Home and family preparedness, including pets, older Americans and individuals with disabilities and special needs (Ready America)
The purpose of National Preparedness Month is to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies. Although significant progress has been made, there is still a long way to go to ensure that all Americans are prepared. A national survey conducted by The Advertising Council on behalf of Homeland Security in July found that 66 percent of Americans believe it is "very important" for individuals to prepare and 54 percent report having taken some steps to prepare. The study also found progress on emergency preparedness among specific subgroups, including: Hispanic Americans; men, particularly fathers; and employers.
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August 29, 2007
Contact: Office of the Homeland Security Secretary, 202-282-8010
OPINION EDITORIAL BY HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY MICHAEL CHERTOFF ON PREPAREDNESS
WASHINGTON - Nobody likes to ponder the potential effects of devastating disasters, from the destruction of homes to the heartbreaking loss of loved ones. But, the best way to cope with those disasters is to plan for the worst, even as we hope for the best.
Many Americans never think they will face a situation requiring drastic action such as the evacuation of their homes. Worse, according to a recently released Harvard study, 31 percent of people in high-risk coastal areas would refuse an evacuation order in the event of a major hurricane. Even as Hurricane Dean approached, one-fourth of potentially at-risk Texans surveyed said they would not evacuate, either.
Clearly, when it comes to disaster preparedness and response, millions of Americans remain in a state of denial - precisely when risks appear to be rising. Over the past year alone, across America, people have lost lives or property in incidents ranging from floods to tornadoes to wildfires. And that is apart from the threat from terrorists who could attack without warning and inflict serious damage and loss of life.
By their nature, disasters can be unpredictable. First responders can't always get to everyone immediately. If your community is affected, it may take hours or days before they reach you. Residents who refuse to evacuate are not only risking their own lives and the lives of family members, but they are needlessly putting first responders in harm's way if a rescue is ultimately needed.
That's the bad news.
The good news is that if we think about and prepare for such emergencies today, we can help protect lives and property tomorrow.
Recognizing this, our Department of Homeland Security works closely with Citizens Corps, a community-based emergency preparedness and response movement headquartered in FEMA, and sponsors our nationwide Ready campaign to equip Americans for emergencies such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
Every September, with the help of Ready and Citizens Corps, we promote National Preparedness Month. Throughout this month, we and our public and private-sector partners will be encouraging Americans to increase emergency preparedness in their homes, schools, and businesses.
We are asking Americans to do three things - get an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed about different kinds of emergencies and how to respond to them.
A basic kit should include at least a three-day supply of water and non-perishable food, a battery-operated radio as well as an NOAA Weather Radio, a flashlight and batteries, a first-aid kit, a whistle for help, a dust mask, personal sanitation items, a wrench or pliers, a can opener, local maps, and possibly prescription medications, infant formula and pet food.
A family plan should describe how members will contact one another if they are separated. It should include an out-of-town contact number in case local telephone service is disrupted. A family should identify potential evacuation locations and think through how to "shelter-in-place" at home if needed.
Emergency information should include knowledge about the potential disasters, such as hurricanes, floods or fires in one's area.
How vital is emergency preparedness? Ask Judy Weitz.
I recently met with Judy while in New Orleans. She owns Compucast Interactive, an Internet services company for more than 250 New Orleans-area businesses. Prior to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, Judy had secured dedicated computer servers in San Francisco and Philadelphia. She wanted to ensure that her clients' Web sites would function in the event of a hurricane.
Thanks to her foresight, Compucast became one of the few area Web providers still online after Katrina's devastation. Working from Houston, Judy helped stranded employees find places to stay, employers to communicate with them regularly, and businesses to begin rebuilding. She also offered to match job seekers with job creators.
What Judy did with her business, people can do with their families. Simply stated, they can prepare.
So during this year's National Preparedness Month, our three-fold message remains:
Get a kit, make a plan, and be informed.
You can go to www.Ready.gov and learn more about implementing your own preparedness plan. To get involved in your community's preparedness efforts, visit www.CitizenCorps.gov.
By acting today, you can protect your family, your community, and our country for tomorrow.
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June 13, 2007
Contact: DHS Press Office, 202-282-8010
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SPONSORS FOURTH ANNUAL NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH
September 2007 Effort Addresses Emergency Preparedness for Families, Businesses and Communities
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will sponsor the fourth annual National Preparedness Month this September and encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities. This year's effort has a growing coalition of more than 625 national, regional, state, and local organizations pledging support.
"It is vital that Americans take steps to prepare for emergencies at home, work or school," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Personal preparedness is paramount to effectively reacting to the effects of a disaster. By preparing yourself, your family, and your businesses, you allow first responders to prioritize efforts and aid."
For the first time, the month will focus on different areas of emergency preparedness.
- September 1-8; Back-to-School (Ready Kids)
- September 9-15; Business preparedness (Ready Business)
- September 16-22; Multicultural preparedness (Listo)
- September 23-30; Home and family preparedness, including pets, older Americans and individuals with disabilities and special needs (Ready America)
Homeland Security Committee members, Sens. Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins, and Reps. Bennie Thompson and Peter King, have agreed to serve as honorary Congressional co-chairs of National Preparedness Month 2007 and lead the effort to increase public awareness on the importance of emergency preparedness on Capitol Hill.
The Ready campaign and the department's Citizen Corps program work closely together to promote activities across the nation that will encourage individuals to have an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed about the different threats that may affect them, as well as take steps to get trained and engaged in community preparedness and response efforts. National Preparedness Month coalition members have agreed to distribute emergency preparedness information and sponsor activities across the country that will promote emergency preparedness. Membership is open to all public and private sector organizations. Groups can register to become National Preparedness Month coalition members by visiting www.Ready.gov and clicking on the National Preparedness Month banner.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security promotes individual emergency preparedness through the Ready campaign and Citizen Corps. Ready is a national public service advertising campaign produced by The Advertising Council in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security. The Ready campaign is designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. Individuals interested in more information about family and business preparedness can visit www.Ready.gov or call 1-800-BE-READY to receive free materials.
Citizen Corps brings together community, emergency and government leaders to involve community members in emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response, and recovery. Through Citizen Corps and its program partners and affiliates, individuals can find training and volunteer opportunities to support first responders in an emergency.
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Press Release - February 28, 2007
Contact: DHS Press Office, 202-282-8010
NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH 2007
National Preparedness Month is a nationwide coordinated effort sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security each September to encourage Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools.
- The goal of National Preparedness Month is to increase public awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks and to encourage individuals to take action to prepare themselves and their families.
- The month provides Americans with a variety of opportunities to learn more about emergency preparedness. Events and activities across the nation will encourage individuals to get an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses and get involved in preparing their communities.
- Homeland Security is working with a wide variety of organizations, including national, regional, state and local government organizations to highlight the importance of public emergency preparedness throughout September. In 2006, more than 1,370 national, regional, state and local organizations joined the National Preparedness Month Coalition and supported this important effort by disseminating emergency preparedness messages to their customers, members, employees, stakeholders and communities across the nation.
- Throughout the year, DHS promotes individual emergency preparedness through the Ready Campaign. Ready is a national public service advertising campaign produced by The Advertising Council that is designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. The campaign's Web sites (www.Ready.gov and www.Listo.gov) and toll-free numbers (1-800-BE-READY and 1-888-SE-LISTO) provide Americans with free preparedness information.
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