National Preparedness Month – September
September is National Preparedness Month. Just as a tropical storm makes landfall on Florida’s east coast, we begin a new month that has been titled National Preparedness Month.
This a great time to get your home and family ready for any type of emergency that may come to your community.To stay safe during occurrences such as a natural disaster, is it wise to take necessary precautions to keep you and your family safe. There is a wide range of disasters from tornados to terror events that can have a huge impact if you do not plan ahead. These events can cause power outages, disruptions in cell phone service, and loss of water supply for some period of time.
#NatlPrep Campaign
Starting September,1 Ready.gov will be continuing their “Don’t Wait, Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today” campaign due to it’s huge success last year. There will be tips and information provided to help families to take steps to plan for any type of emergency situation. Follow #NatlPrep for tips and information and to share your experiences and ideas. The goal is to help America take action to be fully prepared for when these emergency situations strike your community.
FEMA Tips
Less than half of all Americans have an emergency preparation plan for their household according to FEMA. Great strides have been made through efforts of promoting National Preparedness Month, but continued efforts will only make those numbers grow. FEMA is a great source of information and recommendations to get every family the knowledge and plan of action in the event of a disaster.
FEMA offers recommendations include:
Every home should contain a supply kit that includes a surplus of nonperishable food items, as well as fresh bottled water. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends one gallon per person in your household per day for three days.
FEMA also recommends that the kit include prescription medications for everyone in the family, personal hygiene items, a flashlight, extra batteries and matches, amongst other items. For a complete list, visit fema.gov.
Each week throughout the month is further subdivided to focus on a particular theme.
National Preparedness Month Weekly Themes:
- Week 1 – Sept 1–5 Flood
- Week 2 – Sept 6–12 Wildfire
- Week 3 – Sept 13–19 Hurricane
- Week 4 – Sept 20–26 Power Outage
- Week 5 – Sept 27–30 Lead up to National PrepareAthon! Day, September 30
The South Tampa Smiles Team would like to help promote this important month to our patients and community. Take the time to share with your friends and family and BE PREPARED!
South Tampa Smiles
Tampa, FL
(813) 289 – 0560
Follow #NatlPrep for tips and more information.
Red Cross Resources:
