2013 Hurricane Preparedness Week to Kick Off May 26

FEMA Private Sector Advisory

May 14, 2013

  

2013 Hurricane Preparedness Week to Kick Off May 26

The 2013 hurricane season officially begins June 1 and extends through November 30.  In anticipation, FEMA will be launching Hurricane Preparedness Week on May 26 continuing through June 1.

Hurricane Preparedness Week provides an opportunity for us to join together in a collective outreach and empower our stakeholders to take the time to prepare for all emergencies as hurricane season approaches.  You can promote action on this important issue by encouraging your community and stakeholders to take the Pledge to Prepare.   The Pledge identifies the critical elements of readiness by educating those in hurricane prone areas to know their risk, take appropriate actions to prepare, and inspire others to do the same.  An informed and motivated public will greatly add to our ability to respond and recover from the potential devastating effects of a tropical storm or hurricane.  Awareness can save lives and minimize property damage.

Severe weather can occur at anytime, anywhere. The time for citizens to formulate how they will respond is now.  It is important for everyone to know about the hazards and risks associated with the upcoming season and take the necessary actions to protect loved ones, homes and businesses.

We’re asking for your help in getting everyone across the country to take the Pledge to Prepare, and take the following steps to make our families and communities more prepared.

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Know Your Risk:  Be Informed; Hurricane hazards come in many forms: storm surge, high winds, tornadoes, and flooding.        
Make A Plan: Develop a family emergency plan that includes how to communicate if power or telecommunications are disrupted.            
Build a Kit:  Create or update your family’s emergency supply kit, remember to save important papers electronically in a safe place, and,  
Get Involved:  Volunteer in your community’s Citizen Emergency Response Team by visiting .  Join the 30,000 members of the National Preparedness Coalition at www.community.fema.gov and share what you have done to prepare with communities and preparedness professionals across the country.

To assist you in this outreach, we have developed free online tools that can be personalized to help you spread the message of hurricane preparedness.  These tools are located on www.ready.gov/hurricanes under the “Resources” tab.  This contains templates for press releases, blog posts, and op-eds, along with a social media library with an array of content to educate and inform as a part of your overall outreach.  

Preparedness is an individual responsibility, but we cannot do it alone.  It is only by working together across government, businesses, faith-based and community organizations that we can achieve our shared goal of strengthening our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

If you have any questions, please contact FEMA’s Private Sector Division at FEMA-Private-Sector@fema.dhs.gov.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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