Burlington, IA- The Des Moines County Emergency Management Agency is reminding residents that September is National Preparedness Month.
This is an opportunity for all Iowans to better prepare themselves for emergencies and disasters.
According to the 2022 National Household Survey- only 45% of adults in the United States are prepared for a disaster.
Des Moines County Emergency Management Coordinator Gina Hardin noted that “there are many simple, free and low-cost preparedness activities available to take the first few steps to prepare for an emergency situation. Even just starting with gathering important documents or creating a family emergency plan can be helpful.”
During September all residents of Des Moines County are urged to consider the 3 simple steps necessary to become more prepared:
Step 1: Build an emergency kit. During an emergency, there are items you and your family will need. Build an emergency supply kit and keep it in a place where it will be easy to grab if you need to quickly leave your home. Items to include are first aid, hygiene, emergency tools, documents/money, escape tools, food and water.
Step 2: Make an emergency plan. You and your family may not be together when an emergency happens, so knowing what to do, where you will go, and how to get in touch with each other is important. Do you have an evacuation route and a meeting spot in the event of an emergency in your home?
Step 3: Be aware of hazards. When bad weather is in the forecast, pay attention to the news, sign up for emergency notifications through Alert Iowa or for other types of alerts via your mobile phone, and use your NOAA weather radio to receive weather and other emergency alerts. Alert Iowa is a statewide mass notification and emergency messaging system.
Des Moines County Emergency Management offers a free two-day course in November to better prepare you and your family for an emergency.
For more information on emergency preparedness, visit ready.iowa.gov.
