September Is National Preparedness Month: An Opportunity to Prepare

September is National Preparedness Month, a time set aside each year to encourage individuals, families, businesses, and communities to think about how prepared they are for emergencies and disasters.

This year’s FEMA theme is:

Americans Stand Ready.

Preparedness does not mean living in fear of what might happen. It means recognizing that emergencies are part of life and taking practical steps now that can help you respond with greater confidence when something does occur.

A power outage, winter storm, wildfire, earthquake, flood, or other emergency can disrupt the services we depend upon every day. Transportation may be limited. Stores may be closed. Communications may be interrupted. Utilities may not be available. Emergency responders may be dealing with many incidents at the same time.

National Preparedness Month gives us an opportunity to ask some simple questions.

Does your family have an emergency plan? Do you have enough food, water, medications, and basic supplies? Do family members know how to contact one another if normal communications are disrupted? Have you considered the needs of children, older adults, pets, or family members with access and functional needs?

You do not have to accomplish everything at once.

Preparedness can be built one step, one conversation, and one purchase at a time. September is a good opportunity to look at what you already have, identify what may be missing, and begin improving your preparedness.

Throughout National Preparedness Month, LMD Disaster Survival Kits will share practical ideas to help individuals and families become better prepared without making the process overwhelming.

Preparedness begins with awareness, grows through planning, and becomes stronger through action.

Americans Stand Ready.

This September, take the opportunity to make sure you and the people you care about are ready too.

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Michael Cady, MSDM, NEMAA, is an emergency management professional with more than 30 years of experience working with first responders, five years of federal disaster recovery experience assisting disaster survivors and has operated LMD Disaster Survival Kits since 2007. Michael holds associate and bachelor’s degrees in Homeland Security Emergency Management and a master’s degree in Climate Security and Disaster Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He currently supports emergency management, health, and safety measures for more than 500 staff in a behavioral health organization. Preparedness questions matter, and LMD Disaster Survival Kits welcomes the opportunity to help individuals, families, workplaces, and communities become better prepared.