APHA is ready for National Preparedness Month!

APHA’s Get Ready emergency preparedness campaign has lots to do and see this September.

Come see us!
Get Ready Day Google+ Hangout on Air
Sept. 15, 2 p.m. EDT
We are featuring an exceptional panel of experts who will speak about climate change and specifically about wildfires, flooding and vector-borne diseases.  Learn how you can prepare and reduce the risk of harm.

City Center Farmer’s Market
Sept. 15, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Come actually see us in person in Washington, D.C., at the City Center farmers market. Say hello and be sure to pick up some of our fantastic freebies!

Climate Changes Health Webinar
Sept. 16, 1 p.m. EDT
Get information about the CDC’s BRACE (Building Resilience Against Climate Effects) framework and hear about Oregon and Vermont communities that are taking steps to prevent the health threats related to climate change.

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New Get Ready Infographic
Help prepare your family or community for disasters with our free Get Ready preparedness infographics. Easy to print, post and share!

New Fact Sheet — Get the facts on seasonal flu
By knowing the steps to avoid getting sick, we can have a safer flu season — and you and your family can stay healthy.

Coming Soon…Get Ready video
Ready, Pet, Go! Calendar winners announced
Preparedness quiz
New podcast and preparedness Storify

Breaking down obstacles to preparedness and becoming strong in the face of disasters

Today’s guest blog is by Weston Lee, a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Youth Preparedness Council, who works to educate youth in his community. A student at Weber High School in Pleasant View, Utah, Lee’s training includes CPR, first aid and student response. While getting students involved in emergency preparedness can be difficult, Weston says that working with “someone who is engaged, excited and, most of all, actually interested in what they do” can make a difference with youth.
 
What do cows produce during an earthquake? A milkshake! On a more serious note, what does being prepared produce during an emergency? President Barack Obama said that when our nation faces crisis, we will respond determined and resilient as a result of our preparedness.

The main idea for emergency preparedness is to get a kit, make a plan, be informed and get involved. Make sure you are ready in your family, business or work, school and community. Work with your community and learn about possible hazards or disasters that can happen in your area. Social media is a great way to keep up to date with news and information.

One of the things I like to address when teaching emergency preparedness are the barriers related to becoming prepared. Some obstacles are:

• Lack of concern. Not believing that an event will happen here. Or that they will not worry about it unless it actually occurs.
• Lack of thought on the subject.
• Lack of knowledge or information, such as people saying, “I don’t know how to do this.”
• Lack of resources, whether it is time or money related.
• Avoidance. Avoiding the situation of preparedness for various reasons.
• Or a feeling of fatalism, saying that whatever you do will not matter.

As you venture into becoming more emergency prepared, take time to set aside any barriers or obstacles you may have. In order for us to be determined and strong in the face of the disaster, we can become better prepared by making a kit, making a plan and being informed.

Be disaster aware and take action to prepare by taking part in America’s PrepareAthon during National Preparedness Month this September. Get your family and community involved by following weekly themes and using the preparedness resources.

There are resources available that teach about different hazards and disasters, and provide recommendations and resources on how to become more prepared before, during and after an emergency.

For a smooth start on becoming emergency prepared, visit the American Red Cross, Ready.gov, Get Ready and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites.

Sept. 30 is National PrepareAthon Day. Plan a preparedness activity and register your family, school or organization as a participant.

Celebrate APHA’s Get Ready Day and spread the preparedness message on Sept. 16

How prepared are you for an emergency or disaster? Have you developed a disaster plan for your family? Do you know how to protect yourself from measles, the flu or other infectious diseases? Most Americans are not prepared for public health emergencies or disasters.

APHA’s Get Ready Day is raising awareness about community preparedness. Held each year in conjunction with National Preparedness Month, the event will be observed Tuesday, Sept. 16. No matter where you live, there is always a possibility of a public health emergency, from earthquakes and hurricanes to infectious diseases.

So what can you do? First, assess how prepared you and your family are: Do you have an emergency plan? A three-day supply of food and water? Where would your family meet during a disaster if they could not go home? How would you leave town if you had to evacuate? Check out these planning tips and information on emergency stockpiling for help in getting yourself and your family prepared.

Once you are up to date, bring the preparedness message to your community on Get Ready Day. Here are a few ideas:

• Sponsor a preparedness talk at your local senior center or hold a community meeting. Invite someone from your local health department or the American Red Cross to be a speaker.
• Insert preparedness planning materials into your church or religious organization’s bulletin, and post information at your library.
• Work with a local grocery store to promote preparedness and stockpiling to shoppers through displays or fliers. Pass out lists of what people should have to be prepared.

Thanks to your help this Get Ready Day, we’ll all be better prepared!

Get Ready Day is tomorrow!

Do you know what you’re doing for Get Ready Day this year?

Held each year on the third Tuesday in September, APHA's Get Ready Day is timed to coincide with National Preparedness Month. This year’s observance is Sept. 17.

Whether you’re on a campus, at home, at school or anywhere else, there are many ways to be part of Get Ready Day. Here are a few ideas:

• Share information: The Get Ready campaign offers free fact sheets, including emergency preparedness information on hurricanes, heat waves, vaccines and many other topics. Use Get Ready Day as a time to learn and share with others about how to be prepared for any emergency.
• Take the pledge: Show that you care about your community by signing the Get Ready preparedness pledge. The pledge is a promise to friends, family and community members to help make them better prepared.
• Create a plan: What better time to create a plan for emergencies than Get Ready Day? Work with your family, friends and coworkers to find the best way to be prepared for emergencies.
• Jump into action: Find ways to make your community better prepared: Set up a booth on campus to share materials. Host an after-school community preparedness fair. Work with a local grocery store to promote preparedness and stockpiling to shoppers through displays or fliers. Sponsor a preparedness talk at your local senior center or hold a town hall.

Here at APHA headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Get Ready campaign will be hosting a blood drive, information table and community food drive. So what are you doing?

My Get Ready Story: Being prepared, no matter where you live

As a part of National Preparedness Month, APHA’s Get Ready campaign asked people to share their preparedness stories with us. Cyndi H., of Anaheim, Calif., shared her story about moving to a new state and how it’s helped her be more prepared.

“I’m originally from Florida, so my idea of disaster preparedness was waiting until hurricane season approached and then checking my supplies and restocking. When I moved to California a year ago, I knew my threats were different, as I now faced earthquakes and wildfires. But I wasn’t concerned and delayed my preparations, assuming I’d make a plan and gather my supplies at some point.

Then one day while at work, the earth shook. It didn’t last long and it wasn’t strong, but the message was clear: I wasn’t ready. Did I have any supplies at work or home? What kind of supplies did I need? How would I get home if the roads weren’t clear? Did I have a plan to meet up with my husband?

A good kit, like this one from the Red Cross, makes all the difference!

Now, my husband and I both travel with earthquake backpacks and have stocks of supplies at home. We carry emergency food, water, lighting, radios, first aid, batteries, copies of identification and basic tools. We conducted a home evaluation to familiarize ourselves with shut-offs for gas, water and electricity, placed emergency lighting throughout and checked our smoke detectors. We’ve also made a plan to maintain communication and meet up with each other in the case we are separated when an emergency occurs.  

A few weeks ago the ground shook again. But this time I wasn’t as startled or as worried. It only took a few hours one day to get ourselves prepared. The peace of mind I’ve gained was worth the effort.” 

Have you ever moved and realized that you needed to change your emergency plans because of new threats? Let us know in the comments!

Get Ready Day 2012 a success

Sept. 18 was the sixth annual observance of APHA’s Get Ready Day. Held during National Preparedness Month, Get Ready Day helps Americans raise awareness in their communities about emergency preparedness. Organizations and advocates around the country helped promote this year’s observance.

Here at APHA, the Get Ready team held two community outreach events in Washington, D.C.: a grocery store event and a blood drive with the American Red Cross.

For our first event, we worked with a local grocery store to plan an event where we could talk to shoppers about building an emergency stockpile and answer questions about emergency preparedness. We set up a booth at the front of the store and talked to shoppers about stocking up on water and canned goods, preparing for bad weather and talking to children about emergencies. Our team spoke with hundreds of shoppers, handed out more than 200 copies of our free fact sheets, and gave away other goodies, like a T-shirt and an emergency preparedness backpack from the American Red Cross. By all accounts, it was a success.

APHA staff share preparedness tips with Safeway shoppers

The Get Ready team also organized a blood drive with the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross holds blood drives year-round, but keeping a good supply of blood becomes really important when a natural disaster strikes. The blood drive was a great way for APHA staff and community members to help others and make a personal contribution.

APHA's Executive Director is all smiles after donating blood

Best of all, both events were relatively easy to set up, and fun to participate in. If you’re already thinking about what you can do for next year’s Get Ready Day — Sept. 17, 2013! — that’s great. We have an event guide to help you plan, and as always, lots of free fact sheets for you to share.

My Get Ready Story: Knowing the importance of preparing for hurricanes

As a part of National Preparedness Month, APHA’s Get Ready campaign asked people to share their preparedness stories with us. Our first story is from Carol L., of Satellite Beach, Fla. Carol tells us how her family gets ready for hurricanes:

Image: Hurricane Andrew making landfall
on the Florida coast,
August 24, 1992 - Courtesy
NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Collection

“Every year on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, residents prepare ahead for the hurricane season. A few years ago, a hurricane did major damage that knocked out power for a week.

Luckily, we had volunteers who helped us through the days. Different banks and insurance companies delivered bags of ice to those who needed it. EMTs and National Guard members checked to make sure everyone was healthy. Those who had battery-operated saws volunteered to clear the roads. Residents pitched in to help their neighbors.

Now, we have a list that we post in our laundry room of all the supplies we need to purchase before the season starts. All emergency gadgets are tested to make sure they are in working condition. We have purchased a butane stove. We do not purchase a large amount of food for the freezer. Instead, we leave room to store ice that will keep things cool for a while. We have a good supply of our prescriptions. We also have a plan for evacuation in case we are told to leave the barrier island. Our cars' gas tanks are kept full. The county has assigned buildings that we can use for a few days. Some of the buildings accept pets; others are for those medically impaired. We are ready but we are very happy when the storm passes out to sea.”

How do you get ready for emergencies? Share your story in the comments or send us an email!

Announcing APHA’s Get Ready Cat Preparedness Photo Contest

Do you love animals and emergency preparedness as much as we do? Then we’ve got a contest for you!

From now until Sept. 30, send us photos of your feline friends to enter APHA’s Get Ready Cat Preparedness Photo Contest. We’re looking for the best pictures of your cute kittens and trouble-making cats. We will add some funny captions and share your cat’s message about emergency preparedness with the world. The winning photos will go into our Get Ready calendar.

Check out our gallery of preparedness cat photos to get an idea of what we’re looking for. You can also read the frequently asked questions and the rules and regulations pages to find out more.

When you’re ready to send us your great pictures, you can enter the contest by following these directions.

We can’t wait to see what you and your cats come up with!

September is National Preparedness Month

September is a big month for us here at Get Ready, because it’s also National Preparedness Month — the time of year where we work really hard to spread the word about getting yourself, your family and your community ready for disasters.

We have lots of great things in store for you this month. Our big day is Tuesday, Sept. 18 — Get Ready Day. Get Ready Day was created in 2007 to help people join together to help make their homes, communities, schools and workplaces more prepared. We have a section on our website dedicated to Get Ready Day, with information and tools to help you hold your own Get Ready Day event and event ideas. Check it out and let us know how you are planning to celebrate!

The fun doesn’t stop there. All throughout the month on this blog and our Twitter account,  we’ll be sharing information to help you prepare for anything. Stay tuned for blog posts about back-to-school preparedness and other features.

Plus, we’ve even started a cool new contest so that you can get your cats in on the emergency preparedness fun! (Yes, we said cats.)

Check back for more tips, tricks and useful information. And remember to sign up for our Get Ready Now! quarterly newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!