September is National Preparedness Month - NPM 2023

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National Preparedness Month (NPM) is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. Each year, Ready WV participates in NPM to help increase community awareness and preparedness in West Virginia through its multimedia campaign.

This year, the theme is “Preparing for Older Adults." They can face greater risks when it comes to the multitude of extreme weather events and emergencies, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability, or live in rural areas. Older adults may have specific needs after a disaster. It is important to plan ahead by knowing how you will communicate, who will be able to assist you, and what support resources you have in place if need be.  

Here are some recommendations to get you started: 

• Create a support network of family, friends and others who can assist you during an emergency.
• Make an emergency plan and practice it with them.
• Plan for your transportation if you need help evacuating. See tips on Evacuation Planning. 
• Plan how you will have your assistive devices with you during an evacuation. Also, plan how you will use them in case of power-outages.  
• Make sure at least one person in your support network has an extra key to your home, knows where you keep your emergency supplies, and knows how to use lifesaving equipment or administer medicine.
• If you undergo routine treatments administered by a clinic or hospital, find out their emergency plans and work with them to identify back-up service providers.
• Don't forget your pets or service animals. Not all shelters accept pets, so plan for alternatives. Consider asking loved ones or friends outside of your immediate area if they can help with your animals.
• Keep copies of your important documents in a safe waterproof fireproof place or store them in the cloud. This way, you will have access to them in case you are displaced by a disaster.  

 Also, check out our ReadyWV Personal Preparedness Toolkit. It contains:

•  a fillable Family Emergency Plan where you can list your emergency contacts, medical, insurance and other important information.
•   an Emergency Kit Content Check List
•  a checklist to Safeguard Critical Documents & Valuables, and more!

For more information and resources, see:

Preparing for Older Adults - webite

Preparing for Older Adults - downloadable brochure

Preparing for Older Adults - flyer​

Preparing for those with disabilities​

Older Adu​lt Prep Flyer

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