Ready, Pet, Go! Enter APHA's 2015 Get Ready Photo Contest

Do you have a unique pet, or just a really cute one? Do you enjoy going to the zoo? Snap a photo of an animal in a preparedness pose and enter Ready, Pet, Go! APHA’s Get Ready Photo Contest. The contest is using animals — of any kind — to promote emergency preparedness.

Cats, dogs, fish, birds, hamsters, lizards, pigs, cows, snakes, horses, llamas, squirrels and all other animals welcome. Whether they have two legs, four legs or none, we want to see them all!
Take a look at the topics covered by the Get Ready campaign — such as preparing for evacuation, stockpiling, how to prepare for severe weather — and find a way to illustrate them with an animal.

We will add witty captions and share your message about emergency preparedness with the world. The winning photos will go into our Get Ready calendar.
See our animals photo gallery for ideas! Need more inspiration? Take a look at photos from past rounds of the Get Ready Photo Contest, featuring cats, dogs, and babies.

Read our FAQs and official rules and regulations for complete info. Entries will be accepted via email and Instagram. Contest entries are being accepted now through June 1, so get snapping!

Get ready! It’s National Preparedness Month

It can be impossible to prevent disasters, particularly when it comes to something like tornadoes or earthquakes. But you can be better prepared for them. As September is National Preparedness Month, now’s a great time to get ready!

Here are a few quick steps to put you on the road to readiness this month:

• Build an emergency supply kit. Make sure to include the basics, such as at least a three-day supply of food and water. Choose foods that don’t require refrigeration and are not high in salt. Other items to include are batteries, flashlights, a manual can opener, a radio, a battery-operated cellphone charger and copies of important documents.
• Create a family communication plan so everyone knows what needs to be done before and during an emergency or in an evacuation. Review and practice the plan with all family members. If you need to evacuate, know where the nearest shelter is and how to get there safely.
• Stay informed! Keep up to date on all the information your local emergency management officials send out during an emergency. Make sure to heed all advice from local emergency officials, such as evacuation notices.

Your organization or business can become a part of National Preparedness Month by joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Preparedness Community. Members — who include APHA’s Get Ready campaign! — pledge to promote preparedness and have access to free resources and a planning toolkit.

For more preparedness tips and tools, check out our Get Ready fact sheets, perfect to hand out at community events, on campus or at work and to share with those you care about.