The 9th National Preparedness Month will take place this September which features a showcase of activities and campaigns that are occurring around the United States to support people’s awareness of emergency preparation.
The sponsor of the month, Department of Homeland Security, is focusing on public preparedness in crisis situations, such as natural disasters; biological, chemical, and radiation emergencies; and terrorist attacks. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (within the Department of Homeland Security) encourages people to get a kit, make a plan, be informed, and get involved. For more info go to: www.Ready.gov/today.
Wright State is, for the sixth year, a member of the National Preparedness Month Coalition, in which the university helps to provide information on preparation. Last Friday, Wright State University Emergency Management hosted the NWS SKYWARN Storm Spotter Training, where members of the student and local community were given the opportunity to learn about storm spotting and how to be involved as messengers for the area.
The university’s Emergency Management team has put together a concise guide to preparing for disasters at http://www.wright.edu/emergency-management/personal-preparedness. The site provides videos about personal preparedness, including one that is specific for people with disabilities. Perhaps the most important information that is shown is a checklist of need-to-have items for an emergency kit.
The checklist includes items such as water, non-perishable food, tools, radios, flashlights, batteries, waterproof matches, money and blankets. Additionally, the site provides a list of first-aid kit items.
An aspect of emergency preparedness that most may not think about is the possibility of a biological terrorist attack. This Personal Preparedness website has a section about the possibility of biological agents in the environment and the proper ways to prepare to face them.
“National Preparedness month is not just about this month. This is just a showcase. We need to be prepared every day of the year,” Mike Coons, Wright State’s Emergency Management Administrator, said. “Whether it is at school, home, work or in the community, we need to take care of our neighbors and ourselves.”
