Beech Tree News Network

FRANKFORT – In light of the devastation in Houston and surrounding parts of Texas from Hurricane Harvey and now the anticipated damage in the Caribbean and Florida from Hurricane Irma, the Kentucky Department for Public Health's focus on September as the National Preparedness Month takes on new importance.

A nationwide effort is organized each September by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to encourage citizens to prepare and plan for emergencies in their homes, business and schools. The yearly observance was founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness awareness in the U.S., a fitting time to join the effort to help communities prepare for emergencies, such as natural disasters and potential terrorist threats, and to encourage individuals to take action.

“Emergencies and disasters such as Hurricane Harvey can happen anytime and anywhere often without notice and we all need to take time during National Preparedness Month to remember to be prepared should emergencies or disasters strike,” Dr. Hiram C. Polk Jr., DPH commissioner, said in a statement. “Remember that preparedness is a shared responsibility - it takes a whole community to prepare and respond to emergencies. In essence, we must work hard to prevent things that we hope never happen.”

The four simple steps of Be Ready, Be Steady, Show and Go! Can encourage households, businesses and organizations to prepare for emergencies during National Preparedness Month by taking the following actions:

1. Be Ready – Build an emergency supply kit and emergency plan. Ensure that your kit contains essential items to keep you and your family self-reliant for several days without utilities, electricity, and water or without access to a supermarket or local services. A detailed list of items to be included in the kit can be found at https://www.ready.gov/kit. Make sure that everyone reads the plan and knows where to meet up when an emergency or disaster strikes. Remember to practice your plan with regular drills. For information on writing a plan visit https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan.

2. Be Steady – Maintain a level of readiness through trainings such as CPR classes, fire drills, maintaining your emergency supply kit and updating emergency plans.

3. Show – Inspire others to prepare through volunteerism, talking about preparedness and sharing online content of preparedness material with others.

4. Go! – Know where to go in an emergency and what to do when you get there.

For more information about preparing for and responding to emergencies visit http://www.ready.gov.

* * * 

Date: 09-06-2017

Kentucky Press News Service