Prepare for Disasters to Protect Your Legacy
Published on September 01, 2022
It’s a common situation: The media and public safety agencies warn of an impending storm that could bring power outages and loss of service, but you find yourself scrambling at the last minute for batteries, food and ideas to keep your family entertained. Disasters don’t plan ahead, but you can.
National Preparedness Month is observed every September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies. The 2022 theme is “A Lasting Legacy” with the following tag line: “The life you’ve built is worth protecting. Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family.”
There’s no better time to get involved in disaster preparedness than right now. Follow @ReadyArlington on social media and visit the County’s National Preparedness Month webpage to explore the weekly themes and learn preparedness tips that you can also share with your children and family members.
Week 1 - September 1-4: Make a Plan
It’s important to know which types of disasters could affect your area as your family may not all be together during an emergency. Know how you’ll contact one another to reconnect if separated and how you'll obtain emergency information. Establish a meeting place that’s familiar and easy to find. Talk about unique needs in your household such as medications, spoken languages, medical equipment, pet food and more.
Week 2 - September 5-11: Volunteer to Prepare for and Respond to Emergencies!
No one knows how to help a community better than its residents, which is why joining groups such as the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is essential to helping the County prepare for and respond to emergencies. CERT volunteer training begins September 7. Are you ready to help?
Week 3 - September 12-18: Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness
Preparing for an emergency doesn't have to be expensive. No-cost and low-cost preparedness can include discussing communications plans with your family, signing up for emergency alerts, identifying common hazards in your area, photographing important documents and uploading them to cloud storage for safekeeping, and more.
Week 4 - September 19-25: Teach Youth About Preparedness
Emergencies can be scary for everyone, especially for children. Talk to them about how to prepare for an emergency and what to do if one occurs so they'll remain calm and act quickly.