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FEMA encourges individuals to make
New Year's resolution to be ready for disasters

From the Federal Emergency Management Agency
With the New Year approaching, the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign reminds Americans to "Resolve to be Ready in 2010."

Resolve to be Ready is an annual initiative that encourages individuals, families, businesses and communities to make preparedness a part of their New Year resolutions.

“This holiday season, as family and friends come together to celebrate, it is also a great time to talk about the importance of being prepared,” said Administrator W. Craig Fugate.

“Families can start small, by ensuring they have a communications plan in place before an emergency happens, a little bit of planning can make all the difference in an emergency. The public is the most critical member of our national emergency response team, and the more they do now to be prepared, the better our response.”

Being "ready" for emergencies can be an easy New Year's resolution to keep by following the Ready Campaign's three simple steps:

1) Get an emergency supply kit;
2) Make a family emergency plan; and
3) Be informed about the types of emergencies and appropriate responses.

Taking these steps and having an emergency supply kit both at home and in the car, will help prepare people for winter power outages and icy roads, Fugate explains. "Each of the kits should include basic necessities such as water, food and first aid supplies to help you survive if you are without power or become stranded in your vehicle. Complete checklists for each kit are available at www.ready.gov."

In addition, by visiting www.ready.gov or the Spanish-language Web site www.listo.gov, or calling 1-800-BE-READY or 1-888-SE-LISTO, individuals can access free materials that will help them make and keep a New Year's resolution that will bring their families peace of mind. The Ready campaign has been produced in partnership with the Ad Council.

FEMA’s mission is to support citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.