Take the Pledge to Improve your Community’s Preparedness
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Are you and your family prepared to face a disaster? What about your neighborhood? Do you know your neighbors’ emergency plan or how you can help each other during an emergency? April kicks-off America’s PrepareAthon!—a nationwide campaign to increase emergency preparedness and community resilience. Throughout the month local, state, and federal groups will take the pledge to help improve their preparedness. All of these activities will lead up to PrepareAthon’s national day of action on April 30, 2015.
So what can you do?
You don’t have to be an expert in emergency preparedness, or the leader of a large community group to take part in America’s PrepareAthon! Learn more about what you can do in your neighborhood or community to become more personally prepared and help build your community’s resilience.
In your Neighborhood.
If you haven’t taken the time to talk to your neighbors about emergency preparedness, or even just met them, take the PrepareAthon! pledge and make a plan to include your neighbors in your emergency planning. Often the first people on scene after a disaster are not first responders (EMS, police, firefighter, etc.), but rather the people who are closest to where the emergency took place. When a disaster occurs in your community you will most likely have to rely on those around you, especially if the scale of the disaster makes it hard for first responder to get to the scene.
Do not wait for a disaster to occur to meet your neighbors or learn about your community’s preparedness plans. Reach out to people in your neighborhood and discuss their emergency plans. If you have any medical or physical needs, such as limited mobility or dependence on medication or medical devices, talk to your neighbors about the assistance you may need in a disaster. Likewise, find out about the unique needs of those who live around you. Reach out to elderly neighbors and offer your assistance from shoveling snow to checking on them during a heat wave. No matter what the disaster or emergency, forming relationships with those around you can help improve resilience after a disaster occurs.
In your Community.
Beyond your neighborhood, getting involved in community preparedness groups and emergency response exercises can help improve your own personal preparedness and also your community’s ability to respond to emergencies and natural disasters. Strong community resilience requires people to come together and participate in planning and training before a disaster occurs. A good place to start when looking to become more involved in your community’s preparedness is with groups focused on emergency preparedness, such as your local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps, or American Red Cross chapter. You may also consider getting a community group you are already involved in talking about emergency preparedness. Faith-based organizations, schools, or even your workplace are good places to start a conversation about emergency preparedness.
Take the Pledge.
Whether it is meeting your neighbors, joining a local emergency preparedness group, or starting an emergency preparedness initiative within one of your community organizations, make sure toregister your efforts with America’s PrepareAthon! Help move your individual community and our entire nation closer to being prepared for any emergency or disaster that comes our way.
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