September is National Preparedness Month (NPM) 2024

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September is National Preparedness Month and is a great time to be prepared for emergencies. There are three basic steps in preparing for a disaster - be informed, make a plan, and build a kit.

Be Informed

It's important to become familiar with the different types of hazards that are likely to impact your community or neighborhood.  Learn what to do before, during and after specific types of disasters or emergencies. Follow local news and official alerts and warnings. Some are automatic and some must sign up for. See Hazard Specific Fact Sheets

Make a Plan

Before a disaster strikes, talk with your family about what you will do in case of an emergency. How will you contact each other? Do you have your family's important contact numbers stored in your phone or in your wallet, like work, school, and the pet's vet, and medical? How will you reconnect if separated during a disaster? Do you have a designated meeting place? Get started by filling out ReadyWV's Family Emergency Plan.  When making your emergency plans, also consider: 

• Pets
• Those with special needs
• Caregiver special considerations

Build a Kit

In many instances, when a natural or man-made disaster strikes, you will not have enough time to get prepared, find emergency contact information, and gather important documents or basic emergency supplies, like medicines, food and water. To be prepared for any type of emergency, it is important that you prepare ahead of time. Start by gathering and storing supplies that you might need. Copy important documents such as home and medical insurance policies, medical information, credit card, bank accounts, and other financial documents. Learn more about building a kit.

All of the information you need can be found online at Ready.WV.gov. There's even a Personal Prep Starter Kit  and quiz to help you get started and have everything in place before a disaster strikes.  

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