September is National Preparedness Month. The West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management wants citizens, businesses and communities to make sure they’re ready in the event of disaster.
When any type of severe weather is in the forecast, Facebook and other social media light up with all sorts of jokes and comments about panicked people making a run on stores for milk, bread and toilet paper.
While paying attention to weather forecasts is smart, waiting until the last minute to make sure you have important basic supplies is not. That’s the message of National Preparedness Month.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is reaching out with public service announcements like this one, in hopes that people take action to be ready in case disaster strikes. They say you should plan ahead – and part of that plan is to know how you would survive and get along for up to three days without key resources – such as electric, water, access to a supermarket, telecommunications and perhaps even public safety services.
State emergency officials say you should make sure you identify sources of information in your community that would be helpful before, during and after an emergency; you should make a plan for what to do in the event of an emergency; you should build an emergency supply kit; and you should get involved in helping your community plan ahead.
Suggestions and tips for how to take these steps can all be found on-line.
