Press Releases
September Is National Preparedness Month; Take Advantage of Local Preparedness Classes and Sign Up for Alert Montgomery
For Immediate Release: Friday, August 30, 2019
September is National Preparedness Month, and it is a good time for you and your loved ones to prepare for an emergency. Montgomery County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) joins with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in promoting this year’s national preparedness campaign themed "Prepared, Not Scared."
OEMHS is providing and supporting dozens of events throughout the month to help residents with emergency planning. The 2019 national preparedness campaign is broken into four unique themes:
- Sept. 1 - 7: Save Early for Disaster Costs
- Sept. 8 - 14: Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters
- Sept. 15 - 21: Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters
- Sept. 22 – 30: Get Involved in Your Community’s Preparedness
Stay Informed: Know what kind of hazards you are susceptible to, and how to get information about emergencies that are occurring in your area. Subscribe to Alert Montgomery, which sends emails and texts to your cell phone so that you stay informed about severe weather, traffic disruptions, power outages, and floods, among other events.
Make a plan: Take time to figure out how you are going to reach your family in times of disaster. Do you have an in-town contact, as well as an out-of-town contact? This is important because it may be easier to reach someone out of town during an emergency because of overloaded phone lines in the affected area. Also, have two places to meet your family and loved ones in case you need to evacuate; one outside your home in a safe location, and one outside your neighborhood in case you cannot return home. Be sure your plan considers children, older adults, pets, and those with access and functional needs, if needed. More information about emergency planning can be found here.
Make a Kit: Think about what you need for basic survival and make an emergency supply kit to have readily available in case you need to evacuate or shelter in place. Items that should be in your kit include water, batteries, flashlight, food, clothes and shoes, can opener, hygiene products, medication, and others. For a more complete list, click here.
Get Involved: Finally, help others prepare. Once you have your plan and emergency kit ready, contact older relatives, neighbors, and friends to assist them with emergency preparations and plan to check on them after an event. Support neighborhood associations that are involved in emergency response, or better yet, join an emergency volunteer association, or get CPR and first aid certified. More information about community preparedness can be found here.
Throughout the month, emergency preparedness tips will be provided on both County and OEMHS twitter feeds and County and OEMHS Facebook pages.
Media Contact: Judy Stiles 240-463-2442