| Throughout
the month of September, hundreds of activities are planned
across the country to highlight the importance of individual
emergency preparedness. The National Preparedness
Month coalition, which includes the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, more than 80 organizations and all 56 states and
territories, will encourage Americans to take simple steps
to prepare themselves and their families for any possible
emergencies.
“National
Preparedness Month will give everyone an opportunity to
work toward a better prepared America,” said Homeland Security
Secretary Tom Ridge. “This broad coalition and vast number
of activities and events will allow us to reach millions
of individuals and inform them about ways they can prepare
for emergencies in their homes, businesses and schools.”
State
and territorial activities range from preparedness booths
at the state capitol or state fairs; to proclamations, press
conferences or town hall meetings on preparedness issues;
to statewide public service announcements and emergency
trainings. The more than 80 National Preparedness
Month partner organizations will help reach millions of
Americans by communicating the simple ways that individuals
can prepare for emergencies. Partner activities include:
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The
American Red Cross will organize Together We Prepare
Saturday , September 18 with its chapters nationwide.
Chapters are encouraged to sponsor events in their
communities such as first aid trainings and preparedness
fairs. The organization's website, RedCross.org
will also launch an online store in September with new
pre-packaged products to compliment the wide range of
preparedness resources.
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The
America
Prepared Campaign has galvanized the private
sector in support of National Preparedness Month by
providing preparedness information and tools at some
of the nation's largest retailers, including Home Depot,
Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Costco and Sam's Club. The
campaign has also developed public service announcements,
which seek to raise awareness about the importance of
preparedness and will distribute these starting in September
through broadcast, print and outdoor vehicles. In
addition, the organization has sponsored two contests
to encourage individuals to get prepared, a short film
contest judged by Miramax Co-chairman Harvey Weinstein
and a cash-prize contest for the school that gets the
most families prepared.
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The
U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest
business federation, is participating in National Preparedness
Month to help get the business community prepared. The
Chamber will distribute emergency preparedness information
to its employees nationwide and encourage its members,
which include businesses, state and local chambers of
commerce, and trade and professional associations, to
do the same. In addition, the organization will
join with Homeland Security to launch Ready for Business,
and encourage all businesses to take practical steps
to prepare for any possible emergency.
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The
National
Association of Broadcasters has partnered
with the Department of Homeland Security to create Are
You Ready?, a step-by-step emergency preparedness guidebook
for local broadcasters. The guide provides detailed
instructions about how broadcasters can prepare their
stations for emergencies and get involved in promoting
preparedness in their communities. The NAB will
make this valuable resource available to all television
and radio broadcast stations during September. Additionally,
NAB will promote and distribute emergency preparedness
public service advertisements as well as develop and
host a Ready section on their website.
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The
Public Discourse Project (formerly the 9/11 Commission)
will continue to make emergency preparedness a priority.
Particularly, its members will work to educate
the private sector that preparedness for rescue, restart,
and recovery of operations should include a plan for
evacuation, adequate communications capabilities, and
a plan for continuity of operations, as outlined in
the Commission's report.
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The
Department of Homeland Security's National Preparedness
Month activities will include initiatives related to
the Ready campaign as well as events hosted by Citizen
Corps. In September, DHS will build on its Ready
campaign, a national public education effort launched
in 2003 in partnership with the Ad Council designed
to educate and empower individuals to prepare for emergencies
by getting a kit, making a family communications plan
and being informed about potential threats. Ready
for Business will be launched to educate small and medium-sized
businesses about safeguarding their employees and assets
while preparing for business continuity in the event
of a disaster. In addition, Citizen Corps, the
Department's community-based organization that encourages
Americans to volunteer to make their communities safer
and better prepared for emergencies, will organize events
through its 1,400 state and local Councils across the
country.
While
events will be held across the country throughout the month,
all National Preparedness Month partner organizations will
join together for a launch on Capitol Hill on September
9 in Washington, DC. The event, co-chaired by Senators
Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Representatives
Christopher Cox (R-CA) and Jane Harman (D-CA), will be held
on the grounds of the United States Capitol at 11:00 AM
EDT. |
