National Preparedness Month

 

September is National Preparedness Month, a time to raise awareness about preparing for disasters and emergencies before they happen. 

In Oregon, the impacts of a changing climate, coupled with the ever-present threat of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami, underscore the urgent need for everyone in the state to be prepared for disasters. 

Oregon's National Preparedness Month theme – Plan Today. Ready Tomorrow. – urges everyone to take active steps to plan and prepare today to be ready for future emergencies and disasters.

Every Oregonian can be ready for emergencies, and it doesn't have to be expensive or happen all at once. It's about doing what you can with what you have, to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Being ready means having an emergency plan, staying informed and aware of risks, and knowing how to get information during an emergency. 

 

• Sign up or update your contact information to receive local emergency alerts.
• Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on mobile phones.
• Understand Oregon's evacuation levels and identify multiple evacuation routes in your area.
  
• Make an emergency plan that outlines what to do before, during and after an emergency. Include a plan for any pets and livestock.
  
• Practice your emergency plan with everyone in the household and talk about it with your support network, friends and neighbors.
• Pack an emergency kit with two weeks' worth of food, water and critical supplies for each person and pet, including food, water, medication, flashlights, extra batteries, and phone chargers. You probably already have many necessary items for an emergency kit in your home. Start small and work toward the two-week goal.
  
• Make copies of important documents you’d need to get your life back on track after a disaster; scan or take photos of this information and store it in a password-protected online drive or on a flash drive in a waterproof container and keep it with your emergency kit.
  
• Check with neighbors and loved ones before and during severe weather, utility outages, or other emergencies.
  
• Help start or join an existing Community Emergency Response Team.

A disaster can happen anywhere at any time, and once it occurs, it may take days or even weeks for responders to reach everyone impacted. For every person that is prepared, that's one less person first responders need to assist, saving precious time and allowing them to prioritize life-threatening situations and vulnerable people. Doing your part to prepare yourself and your loved ones truly helps to save the lives of others.

    

OEM's Be 2 Weeks Ready program recommends Oregonians have an emergency plan and enough food, water and supplies to survive for at least two weeks following any large-scale disaster. 

 

Older adults, people with disabilities and their caregivers should consider individual circumstances and specific needs when planning for emergencies and create a support network of people who can help during a disaster. 

Several downloadable equitable and accessible readiness resources are available to help inform all Oregonians of their risks and ways to help one another prepare. Contact your county or tribe emergency management office to request printed copies. 

You may be more prepared than you think. Start integrating preparedness into your daily lifestyle today!