NEWS
National Preparedness Month 2010 – Are You Ready?
Sept. 9, 2010 - How often do you think about emergencies or disasters? According to the 2009 Citizen Corps National Survey, only 36 percent of individuals believed there was a high likelihood of a natural disaster to EVER happen in their community. But disasters happen every day in many different forms – from hurricanes to snowstorms, even localized events such as floods and ice storms.
Many people think that it will be easy to grab items from their pantry if disaster strikes. But what if you aren't at home? What if your family is separated? What if you have to leave quickly? What about your elderly neighbors? The Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps encourage you to take a few extra minutes this month to plan for any emergency.
September is National Preparedness Month (NPM) and a good reminder that we all have a responsibility to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. Emergencies will happen, but taking action now can help us minimize the impact they will have on our lives. As an organization, we are taking steps to be more prepared and we hope you will do the same.
Here are some things you can do to become more prepared and to spread the word about the importance of preparedness:
1. Request a FREE Family Preparedness Planning Kit by contacting the Albany County Department of Health at (518) 447-2057 or e-mail BeReady@albanycounty.com. Bulk orders are welcome.
2. Visit http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared/ for interactive preparedness planning tools.
3. Join the Albany County Medical Reserve Corps to help the county respond to public health emergencies such as a Pandemic Influenza. Register online at www.albanycounty.com/health/mrc.
4. Share this information with your friends, family and colleagues.
The Albany County Department of Health is promoting NPM this year to encourage us all to take active steps toward getting involved and becoming prepared.
