September is National Preparedness Month and an opportunity for state, local, and federal Emergency Managers to provide families and communities with valuable information on preparedness and emergency planning.
The 2019 theme is “Prepared, Not Scared” and includes the following weekly themes:
Week 1: “Save Early for Disaster Costs,”
Week 2: “Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters,”
Week 3: “Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters,”
Week 4: “Get Involved in Your Community’s Preparedness.”
Week 1: Save Early For Disaster Costs
This theme is to encourage families to save in advance in the event of an emergency or disaster. This requires individuals and families to have on hand: financial records, medical records, and their current insurance policy. Here are a few things to consider:
- Saving in an emergency savings account that can be used in any crisis.
- Keep a small amount of cash at home in a safe place. It is important to have small bills on hand because ATM’s and credit cards may not work during a disaster when you need to purchase necessary supplies, fuel and food.
- Reviewing existing insurance policies to ensure that the amount and extent of coverage is adequate to cover all possible claims.
- Homeowners insurance does not typically cover flooding, so you may need to purchase flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program.
- Download and fill out FEMA's Emergency Financial First Aid Kit.
- This allows for important documents to be stored in one place for quick access in the event of immediate evacuation. These documents will be very important as you begin the recovery process. Create a second copy to be stored in a different location.