FEMA Encourages Communities to Participate in National PrepareAthon! Day

 America’s PrepareAthon! Campaign Offers Simple, Specific Actions Americans Should Know and Practice to Prepare For a Disaster in their Community

WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) encourages individuals, families, workplaces, schools and organizations across the nation to take part in America’s PrepareAthon!, a national day of action that will take place September 30.  America’s PrepareAthon! is a community-based campaign to increase emergency preparedness and resilience through participation in hazard-specific drills, group discussions and exercises every fall and spring.  To register, individuals and organizations can visit www.ready.gov/prepare.

According to a recent survey conducted by FEMA, 50 percent of Americans have not discussed or developed an emergency plan for family members about where to go and what to do in the event of a local disaster. Additionally, nearly 70 percent of Americans have not participated in a preparedness drill or exercise, aside from a fire drill at their workplace, school or home in the past two years.

 “Disasters can strike anytime and anywhere,” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said. “America’s PrepareAthon! is about practicing what to do in an emergency with enough regularity so that it becomes second nature when the real disaster actually happens.”

To encourage more Americans to prepare and practice, the campaign offers easy-to-implement preparedness guides, checklists and resources.  These tools help individuals, organizations and entire communities practice the simple, specific actions they can take for the emergencies disasters relevant to their area. Examples include:

1. Sign up for local text alerts and warnings and download weather apps to your smartphone. Stay aware of worsening weather conditions. Visit www.ready.gov/prepare and download Be Smart: Know Your Alerts and Warnings to learn how to search for local alerts and weather apps relevant for hazards that affect your area.
2. Gather important documents and keep them in a safe place. Have all of your personal, medical, and legal papers in one place, so you can evacuate without worrying about gathering your family’s critical documents at the last minute. Visit www.ready.gov/prepare and download Be Smart: Protect Your Critical Documents and Valuables for a helpful checklist.
3. Create an emergency supply kit. Bad weather can become dangerous very quickly. Be prepared by creating an emergency supply kit for each member of your family. Visit www.ready.gov/kit for more ideas of what to include in your kit.
4. Develop an emergency communication plan for your family. It’s possible that your family will be in different locations when a disaster strikes. Come up with a plan so everyone knows how to reach each other and get back together if separated. Visit http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan for communication plan resources.

Managed and sponsored by the Ready Campaign each September, National Preparedness Month is designed to raise awareness and encourage Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, schools, organizations, businesses and places of worship, culminating with the National Day of Action.  America’s PrepareAthon! was established to provide a comprehensive campaign to build and sustain national preparedness as directed in Presidential Policy Directive-8.  The campaign is coordinated by FEMA in collaboration with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations.

More information about America’s PrepareAthon!, including how to register, is available at ready.gov/prepare.