America's PrepareAthon! (AP!) is an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and communities to prepare for specific hazards through drills, group discussions, and exercises. Communities throughout Region VIII undertook activities to help prepare their residents for all types of hazards.
Take Preparedness By Storm - University of Colorado-Denver PrepareAthon!
The University of Colorado-Denver’s (CU-Denver) Anschutz Medical Campus held a preparedness fair and a campus-wide tornado drill on March 18, 2015, in support of AP! The university brought together a variety of partners for an interactive, all-hazards preparedness fair, including state and local emergency management agencies, first response agencies, community-based organizations and private sector sponsors like U.S. Bank and Staples. Attendees were engaged in preparedness activities at each booth, such as building emergency kits, creating family communications plans and emergency financial plans, discussing local hazards and downloading preparedness apps.
CU-Denver also held its first-ever campus-wide tornado drill on both of the university’s Denver-area campuses. Using its emergency notification system and in-building announcements, CU-Denver reached nearly 32,000 students, faculty and staff at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora and the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver. Prior to the drill, the university worked to distribute tornado preparedness information to faculty and staff, who then worked to prepare students for the drill before the alert went out. At 2:00 p.m. local time, text, email and phone call alerts were sent, indicating that campus-wide tornado drills were in effect , which were followed by in-building announcements telling students, faculty and staff where to shelter.
The Great Utah ShakeOut – Utah’s Spring PrepareAthon!
On April 16, 2015, 960,000 Utahns participated in the Great Utah ShakeOut in support of AP! Businesses, schools, families and the whole community joined Utah emergency management officials in practicing “drop, cover and hold on” drills across the state. The Utah Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management and Be Ready Utah worked closely with FEMA Region VIII to align the annual earthquake drill with AP!, creating cross-promotional messaging and positioning ShakeOut as a signature regional campaign activity this spring.
Wildfire Awareness Month – Montana’s Spring PrepareAthon!
Wildfires are a significant hazard in the Rocky Mountain West and FEMA Region VIII worked with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to make the organization’s annual Wildfire Community Preparedness Day an AP! partner event this spring. Together, the NFPA and FEMA created and promoted project ideas that helped communities take action to mitigate wildfire risk around buildings and properties; create family, school and workplace communication plans; and identify, plan and practice wildfire evacuation routes.
This regional effort was a perfect complement to Montana’s Wildfire Awareness Month, a statewide preparedness campaign that is aligned with AP! during the entire month of May. The Governor’s Office of Community Service, Firesafe Montana, Keep Montana Green and the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation came together to plan events and activities that raise awareness for wildland fire safety, hazardous fuels mitigation and fire prevention. Highlights of this coordinated, whole community preparedness initiative include landscaping workshops, chainsaw trainings, a wildland firefighter challenge and family-focused outreach events all aimed at creating “One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire” across Big Sky Country.
Statewide Tornado Drills – North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming Spring PrepareAthon!
Tornadoes are a deadly natural hazard and one that can strike with little to no warning. The states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming conducted statewide tornado drills to help prepare their residents for this annual threat. The drills in South Dakota and Wyoming were conducted on April 22, while the North Dakota event occurred a week later on April 29. All three states have seen a number of deadly twisters in their histories.
FEMA Region VIII collaborated with the National Weather Service offices in all three states in support of the drills. The National Weather Service plays a vital role in issuing weather warnings and informing the public about weather threats. For the tornado drills, the Weather Service worked closely with each of the states and their respective communities, ensuring the participation of countless partners.