National Preparedness Month is observed each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. This year’s Preparedness month theme, created by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency), emphasizes that preparation helps protect everyone you love.
This month, Tigard CERT will be displaying preparedness info and items at the Tigard Library. Please drop by to take a look!
The items below review some of the topics we’ve covered in this column previously, but all deserve special attention every year.
Make A Plan
Update your plan to include recent changes in your home, health, and medications. Take into account current recommendations on COVID protection – e.g. have some extra face masks in your go-bag and emergency supplies at home. Put copies of COVID vaccination cards in your go-bag.
Talk to your family and neighbors about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster.
Build Your Kit
Review your emergency supplies and remove any expired items. Replenish your emergency food supply and move the old items indoors to your pantry if they’re still usable.
Gather enough supplies to last your entire family for several days (ideally two weeks) after a disaster. Update those supplies with consideration for any unique needs of family members (e.g. diet or medications) or pets in case you must evacuate your home quickly.
Review the latest FEMA, Red Cross, and CDC emergency supply recommendations – they can change.
Prepare For Disasters
Take time to learn about likely types of disasters in our area (flood, fire, earthquake) and think about how you can limit the impact of those events on your family. Review your insurance coverage and update it if necessary.
Pay attention to current weather and events so that you can act fast if necessary.
Teach Youth About Preparedness
Talk with your children about preparing for emergencies and what they should do if they get separated from your family. Reassure them that you’re prepared in case of a disaster and teach them how they can get involved in that preparation.
Month 10 Preparedness List
Things To Do
- Review Your Kit – spread out your emergency supplies and identify any gaps that you can correct.
- Test your hand crank radio to be sure you can listen to local and weather information.
Items to Purchase
- Use the results of your review to guide any new purchases of emergency supplies.
Tigard CERT Inc. is a local non-profit organization allied with the City of Tigard that trains volunteers in basic emergency response and organizational skills following the Federal Emergency Management Agency model and guidelines for local Community Emergency Response Teams. For more information about Tigard CERT, please visit our website at tigardcert.wordpress.com.
