September 1 Marks the Start of National Preparedness Month; Citizens invited to ‘Be a Hero’ All Year Long

FEMA Region VII’s “Be A Hero, Preparing Means Caring” campaign

calls on all Americans to exercise an inclusive approach when preparing for emergencies

KANSAS CITY, MO –Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Captain America bring very familiar images to mind. This September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign and FEMA Region VII, in partnership with Citizen Corps and the Ad Council call on all Americans to embrace their own heroic powers to prepare themselves and others for disasters.

“Like so many of the superheroes we grew up watching, the overarching concept behind being a ‘hero’ is helping others, particularly those who may not be able to help themselves or may need some extra assistance,” said FEMA Region VII Administrator Beth Freeman. 

On September 1, National Preparedness Month Community members across the nation will respond to the call to help prepare their families, businesses and communities for emergencies of all kinds. This spring’s deadly tornado in Moore, OK, summer flooding in the Midwest, and the not-so-distant Hurricane Sandy which struck the Eastern Seaboard in 2012, demonstrate that disasters can happen anywhere at any time.

This year’s National Preparedness Month campaign slogan, “You Can Be the Hero”, seeks to transform awareness into action by encouraging all Americans to be the heroes in their own homes, businesses, schools and other common places, taking the necessary steps to ensure their communities and the people within those communities are prepared for emergencies of all kinds.  

Localizing the national theme with an emphasis on issues true to the Nation’s Heartland, FEMA Region VII will launch its regional campaign, Be A Hero, Preparing Means Caring, in conjunction with National Preparedness Month. The initiative includes extensive outreach throughout the Region VII states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.

Freeman said “Our goal in adopting a regional focus for National Preparedness Month is to promote the importance of taking an inclusive approach to disaster preparedness because everyone, regardless of abilities, has something to offer when it comes to preparedness. 

“We can be heroes by learning what it takes to prepare, by understanding the variety and complexity of needs in our communities – particularly for people with access or functional needs and to ensure the well-being of pets – and by exercising a few simple activities now to ensure everyone within our community circles is prepared.”

Through FEMA Region VII’s Be A Hero, Preparing Means Caring campaign, information will be distributed on a variety of topics and issues to consider when practicing preparedness including: caring for the elderly and those with disabilities, ensuring your business is resilient and accessible, and building an emergency supply kit to care for pets.

As the baseline for all FEMA emergency preparedness information, the campaign focuses on starting preparedness with four simple steps:

1. Be informed about emergencies that could happen in your community, and identify sources of local information that will be helpful before, during and after an emergency.
2. Make a plan for what to do in an emergency.
3. Build an emergency supply kit.
4. Get involved.

Although a majority of the Campaign’s information and outreach will be distributed throughout National Preparedness Month in September, FEMA Region VII is using the initiative as a kick-off effort to taking a more focused, long-term approach to engaging with citizens and community partners throughout the year.”

Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it takes a whole community. To join the National Preparedness Community or to make a pledge to learn more, get involved and Be A Hero in your own community, visit http://community.fema.gov. Information is also available at 1-800-BE-READY, 1-888-SE-LISTO or TTY 1-800-462-7585.

Follow FEMA online at http://blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. 

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications. 

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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