September is National Preparedness Month and America's PrepareAthon!. NPM is an annual event led by FEMA's Ready Campaign and supported by dozens of agencies like Citizen Corps and the American Red Cross. It's designed to raise awareness and promote action surrounding emergency preparedness among citizens, businesses and communities. Their website is at www.ready.gov/september. PrepareAthon! is a new grassroots campaign designed to increase community preparedness and resilience. You can find them at www.community.fema.gov.
Man-made and natural disasters and emergencies can happen at any time. With a little preparedness on your part, you can reduce the stress your family would have to deal with during an already difficult time. Some of the steps your family can take to prepare for an emergency are having a family safety plan including an emergency communication list, practicing an escape drill, making arrangements for care of your pet if you'd have to be sheltered, learning how to shelter in place, keeping your vehicle prepared for severe weather conditions and making an emergency grab and go kit.
Finding training is easier than you think. There are several online sights that provide excellent education, including how to prepare before a disaster hits, how to react during an emergency and how to recover after a crisis.
My favorite is www.training.fema.gov/IS. They have dozens of online independent study courses to help you learn how to prepare for yourself, your family and your home before an emergency. You can either take the courses for certification or simply for your own benefit. If you're only interested in the most comprehensive, user-friendly course, I recommend IS-22, "Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness."
Their IS-317, "Intro to CERT," is an excellent, well-rounded handbook on a variety of disaster response topics from disaster medical operations to search and rescue. After an emergency, responders will be pulled in all directions and it may take hours until they can reach your area. You may have to roll up your sleeves to help your neighbors until help arrives. Learn a little now, help a lot later.
You can check out www.readypa.org for information on all types of disasters from extreme temperature to terrorism, from flooding to pandemics. Use the links to learn how to build-an-emergency-kit, creating a shelter in your home, special care for children and pets, making family plans, dealing with evacuations and how to make your home safer.
Emergencies and disasters are difficult enough to deal with. With a little planning, you can be better prepared to handle anything that comes along. Schuylkill emergency responders have spent countless hours trying to make our county safer. You can help by gaining a little knowledge by reading these materials.
Community Volunteers in Action is the volunteer center for Schuylkill County. Use the preceding contact info for those specific opportunities and find other listings on our website at www.schuylkill.us/cvia. Find us on Facebook. Call us at 570-628-1426 or e-mail to jjohnston@co.schuylkill.pa.us.
Disaster action team member
Time: As needed and available.
Responsibility: Become trained to provide timely response after a disaster to help those affected. Training and supervision by the American Red Cross.
Skills: Age 55 and above. Training required.
Location: Throughout Schuylkill County.
Contact: Carol Bowen, RSVP of Schuylkill County, 570-622-3103.