Back to School Preparedness

This September: Remember, Prepare, Plan with your Family

September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), which was founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness in the U.S. It is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for an unexpected emergency.

Emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere. If you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities and families just like yours. This September, please prepare in the event your family must go for a few days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket or local services. Just follow these three steps: Get a Kit. Make a Plan. Be informed.

Get a Kit
Keep enough emergency supplies on hand for your family – water, non-perishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, and a battery-powered radio. If you own pets, remember to include their food and supplies in your supply kit. The Ready Kids family-friendly website (Ready.gov/kids) features instructions on what families and teachers can do to prepare for emergencies and the role kids can play in that effort. Spanish material is available at Listo Niños (Listo.gov).

Make a Plan
Discuss and agree on an emergency plan with your family. You can download the Family Emergency Plan at Ready.gov/makeaplan.

Be Informed
In addition to the Ready.gov site, free information is available from the City to assist you. Contact the City's Community Preparedness Coordinator at (949) 644-3112 to get details on specific hazards in your area, free training, local plans for shelter and evacuation, ways to get specific information before and during an emergency, and how to sign up to receive emergency alerts if they are available.

Consider planning a Ready Kids event in your community to encourage other families to remember, and prepare. Sample activities that are great for schools, scouts and other youth groups include:
• Helping Girl Scouts & Boy Scout work towards achieving their new Preparedness Patch
• Volunteering to present preparedness information in your child’s class or in PTO/PTA meetings
• Inviting officials from the City's local Office of Emergency Management, Citizen Corps Council, or first responder teams to speak at schools or youth events