Full Notification

This is the second week of National Preparedness Month and in aligning itself with the week 2 theme the County of Santa Barbara is encouraging individuals, families, businesses and organizations to know how to plan for specific needs before a Disaster.

Is your home in a unique location? Do you have specific medical needs? Does your business need a specific continuity of operations plan? These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself this week as you focus on how to plan for specific needs that are unique to you, your family, your business, or other organization.

Each day of the week the National effort will focus on different populations. The schedule is as follows:
Monday, 9/8: Youth and Children, and Colleges and Universities
Tuesday, 9/9: Tribal Audiences
Wednesday, 9/10: Business
Thursday, 9/11: First Responders (Police, Fire, EMS, Nurses, and Public Utility etc.)
Friday, 9/12: Organizations (Faith-based, voluntary and state/local/tribal)
Saturday, 9/13: Disabilities, Access & Functional Needs and Older Americans
Sunday, 9/14 Pets/animals

If you are part of one of these communities there are specific preparedness tools designed for you. To find out how you can find out more, read below.

In the following video County Supervisor Salud Carbajal
outlines Santa Barbara County's commitment and participation in the National Preparedness Month effort and how you can become more prepared.

http://youtu.be/tjmfsLicO94

Preparedness is important because in the event of a local emergency, Santa Barbara County residents may need to be self-reliant for at least three days without access to electricity, water service, or food. Being prepared is a shared responsibility and everyone should do their part. Emergencies will happen, so it's important to be proactive and get prepared before disasters strike.

Santa Barbara County residents can take simple steps to be better prepared for disasters by making an emergency supply kit, developing a family communications plan, staying informed of the local hazards and getting involved in our community. To find out more about how you can be prepared visit: http://www.ready.gov/

During National Preparedness Month we ask you, your family, community and workplace to take action by planning a National PrepareAthon! Day on or around September 30th.

America's PrepareAthon! is an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and communities to prepare for specific hazards through drills, group discussions, and exercises.

The second National Day of Action is scheduled for September 30, 2014 and will revolve around taking the actions to prepare for these six specific hazards:
◾Earthquake
◾Flood
◾Hurricane
◾Tornado
◾Wildfire
◾Winter Storm

Campaign Goals

The goal of this campaign is to increase the number of individuals who:
◾Understand which disasters could happen in their community
◾Know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage
◾Take action to increase their preparedness
◾Participate in community resilience planning

What can I do?
◾Register to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! and provide details about the activities you’re planning.
◾Plan your own local community or organizational preparedness event
◾Participate in discussion forums online with like-minded community members
◾Learn the actions to take for disaster preparedness and practice them!

Where can I find more information?
◾For more information about disasters, preparedness, and ways to get involved in America's PrepareAthon!, go to: http://www.community.fema.gov/connect.ti/AmericasPrepareathon
to access the America's PrepareAthon! Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions.

Register for America's PrepareAthon! taking place September 30th at the following link:
http://www.community.fema.gov/connect.ti/AmericasPrepareathon

Stay tuned for weekly OEM updates and information about National Preparedness Month!

Be Disaster Aware. Take Action to Prepare!