CNIC’s Operation Prepare Continues to Raise Awareness and Action on Emergency Preparedness with the Observance of National Preparedness Month

By Commander, Navy Installations Command
(Last Reviewed September 2, 2008)

September is National Preparedness Month

In observance of National Preparedness Month, which is held each September, Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) encourages all Navy personnel and their families to prepare for and respond to various types of emergencies before they occur.

Why? Media reports of the last five years prove that disasters do happen at Navy installations. Just last fall, nearly 9,000 Navy families were displaced by the wildfires in Southern California. Back in 2005, the flooding in Naval Air Station Sigonella caused the evacuation of nearly 500 Navy families. In the same year, Hurricane Katrina affected more than 22,000 Navy families in the Gulf Coast. If or when another disaster strikes, all Navy personnel and their families must be proactive and ready.

Be Informed. Have a Plan. Make a Kit.

Operation Prepare, a fleet-wide education and awareness campaign on emergency preparedness, provides Navy family members with valuable tools and resources to help them be more prepared. The campaign is based on the tenet that when people learn about the emergencies that are most likely to affect them and their family, their chance of safety and recovery improves. After a major disaster, vital services such as water, electricity and phone lines may take hours or days to restore. Until help arrives, affected individuals who are equipped with a family emergency plan and an emergency supply kit are more capable of surviving on their own.

Operation Prepare provides emergency preparedness tools and resources online at www.cnic.navy.mil. From facts sheets on various disasters—natural and manmade hazards, fast spreading diseases and terrorist events—to planning forms and an emergency supplies checklist, preparing for all types of emergencies has never been easier. All materials are tailored for the Navy and are consistent with information from reputable sources such as American Red Cross, Centers for Disease Control, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security and ready.gov.

For individuals and families who have already developed their emergency plan and assembled an emergency kit, National Preparedness Month is a good time to update or replenish your kit’s content. It’s also recommended that you review and practice your plan (e.g., communication means, pet and special needs care, evacuation, shelter in place) during this time. Finally, think about also giving blood, volunteering or signing up for life-saving classes (e.g., first aid, CPR, use of automatic defibrillators) at your local Red Cross or YMCA. These actions will reinforce your and your family’s readiness to respond to emergencies and may even help save the lives of others.