National Preparedness Month Is Over — Preparedness Is Not

September has come to an end, and with it another National Preparedness Month. Throughout the month, we talked about building emergency kits, making plans, signing up for local emergency alerts, preparing at work, and taking small steps toward becoming better prepared.

But preparedness does not end when the calendar turns to October.

In many ways, fall is when preparedness becomes even more important.

Across the country, the changing seasons bring a new set of hazards. Here in the Pacific Northwest, fall means shorter days, heavier rain, stronger windstorms, colder temperatures, and the possibility of power outages. Before long, mountain snow, ice, flooding, and winter storms will become part of the conversation as well.

Other parts of the country face their own seasonal risks, including hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, early snowstorms, extreme cold, and flooding.

The important thing to remember is simple:

Preparedness is not something we do for one month. It is something we build throughout the year.

Take What You Started in September and Keep Going

If National Preparedness Month encouraged you to begin preparing, October is a great time to keep building on that progress.

You do not have to accomplish everything at once.

Take a few minutes this month to:

✓ Check the batteries in flashlights and emergency radios.

✓ Replace expired food, water, medications, and other supplies in your emergency kit.

✓ Add warm clothing, blankets, gloves, hats, and rain protection to your vehicle and household supplies.

✓ Make sure portable power banks are charged and ready.

✓ Review how your household will stay warm during an extended power outage.

✓ Check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

✓ Talk with family members about where you would meet if you could not return home.

✓ Keep your vehicle at least half full of fuel whenever possible.

✓ Review emergency supplies for pets.

✓ Make sure everyone in your household is signed up for local emergency alerts.

Prepare for Power Outages Before They Happen

Fall and winter storms can bring down trees and power lines, sometimes leaving neighborhoods without electricity for hours or even days.

Think about what your household would need if the power disappeared tonight.

How would you provide lighting?

How would you charge phones?

How would you safely prepare food?

Do you have enough drinking water?

How would you stay warm?

Do you have family members who rely on electrically powered medical equipment?

Answering those questions before the lights go out can make an emergency much easier to manage.

Keep Working Toward Two Weeks Ready

A three-day emergency kit is an excellent place to begin, but major disasters can disrupt transportation, utilities, stores, communications, and emergency services for much longer than 72 hours.

That is why we continue to encourage households to gradually work toward being Two Weeks Ready.

You do not need to buy two weeks of supplies today.

Add a little extra water during your next shopping trip.

Pick up a few additional shelf-stable meals the following week.

Add batteries, hygiene supplies, pet food, medications, or another flashlight when your budget allows.

Preparedness grows one step at a time.

Fall Is Also a Good Time to Prepare Your Vehicle

Cold-weather emergencies do not always happen at home.

A vehicle emergency kit becomes especially important as temperatures begin to fall.

Consider keeping:

✓ Drinking water

✓ Shelf-stable snacks

✓ Flashlight

✓ First-aid supplies

✓ Phone charging equipment

✓ Warm blanket

✓ Gloves and hat

✓ Rain gear

✓ Reflective vest

✓ Jumper cables or a portable jump starter

✓ Basic tools

✓ Emergency warning devices

If you regularly travel through mountain passes or rural areas, consider adding additional cold-weather supplies as winter approaches.

Make Preparedness Part of Everyday Life

National Preparedness Month gives us an opportunity each September to focus attention on emergency preparedness.

But the real goal is much bigger.

Preparedness should eventually become part of the way we live.

We check the weather.

We maintain our vehicles.

We replace smoke detector batteries.

We plan vacations.

We prepare for retirement.

Emergency preparedness deserves the same type of ongoing attention.

You may never feel completely prepared for every possible disaster—and that is okay. The goal is to be more prepared tomorrow than you are today.

As we head into fall, choose one preparedness task and complete it this week.

Then choose another.

Small actions repeated throughout the year can create a household, workplace, and community that is much more capable of handling the unexpected.

And if you are still building your emergency supplies, LMD Disaster Survival Kits & Supply offers preparedness kits and individual emergency supplies that can help you continue building toward your preparedness goals.

National Preparedness Month may be over.

Preparedness never is.

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Michael Cady, MSDM, NEMAA, is the owner of LMD Disaster Survival Kits and an emergency management professional with more than 30 years of experience working alongside first responders. He also has five years of federal disaster recovery experience assisting individuals, families, businesses, and communities affected by disasters.

Michael founded LMD Disaster Survival Kits in 2007 to help people become better prepared for emergencies before they occur. He holds associate and bachelor’s degrees in Homeland Security and Emergency Management, as well as a Master of Security and Disaster Management with a concentration in Climate Security from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

In his current professional role, Michael supports emergency management, workplace health, and safety initiatives for a behavioral healthcare organization with more than 500 employees.

Preparedness questions matter, reach out. LMD Disaster Survival Kits welcomes the opportunity to help individuals, families, workplaces, and communities strengthen their readiness, build confidence, and prepare for the unexpected.