Kingston, NY – September is National Preparedness Month (NPM) and Ulster County Executive Mike Hein has announced the County’s support for this important initiative. This event, now in its twelfth year, is a nationwide, month-long effort started by the Ready Campaign, encouraging households, businesses and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies. The 2015 National Preparedness Month theme is “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today,” which encourages everyone to make a plan to know what to do during an emergency.
“Being proactive and prepared in case of a disaster or emergency could be the difference between life and death,” said County Executive Mike Hein. “The fact is we never know when an emergency will take place as we have witnessed in the past with Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy. This critical initiative reminds us all to be proactive and have a basic level of preparedness in case of a flood, hurricane, power outage or other serious events. Whether a disaster is natural or man-made, it is important that Ulster County residents are prepared and empowered to help both themselves and their neighbors in case of emergency.”
Dr. Carol Smith, Ulster County Commissioner of Health and Mental Health
“This year’s theme: `Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today´ focuses on encouraging everyone to have an up-to-date contact list for those you may need to reach during a disaster. It also calls for establishing alternate methods of communication in case traditional means are not available,” said Dr. Carol Smith, Ulster County Commissioner of Health and Mental Health. “The Ulster County Department of Health, Mental Health, and other County agencies train for multiple disaster scenarios, however no amount of training can prepare you for every situation. That is why it is so important that residents do what they can to prepare to ride out disasters in the short term until help arrives, including helping our friends and neighbors who may not be able to care for themselves. Families should consider making a plan that includes who to call, where to meet and what to pack."
Quote Steven J. Peterson, Director of Ulster County Emergency Communications
“Nationwide, September is the busiest month for disasters,” said Steven J. Peterson, Director of Ulster County Emergency Communications. “In a recent County Preparedness Assessment, the biggest risk for the residents and visitors to Ulster County is flooding. This is followed by wildfire, and severe winter storms. Don't wait, make your plan today. Everyone should take the time now to prepare for those events as well as other types of disasters. Make sure you have enough food and water to last for three days as well as batteries for your flashlights and radios. Communicate with family members ahead of time so everyone is prepared.”
One of NPM’s key messages is: be prepared in the event an emergency causes you to be self-reliant for three days without utilities and electricity, water service, access to a supermarket or local services, or maybe even without response from police, fire or rescue. Preparing can start with four important steps:
1. Be informed about emergencies that could happen in your community, and identify sources of information in your community that will be helpful before, during and after an emergency;
2. Make a plan for what to do in an emergency. Develop a written, family (and business/organization) disaster plan and review it with everyone, so that everyone knows what to do, where to go and how to communicate in the event of a serious emergency;
3. Build an emergency supply kit; and
4. Get involved.
For more information about the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month, visit www.ready.gov and http://www.community.fema.gov/ or call 1-800-BE-READY (1-800-237-3239), or contact the Ulster County Department of Health – Public Health Preparedness Program at (845) 334-5538.
Attachment: Pictured below: Ulster County’s Emergency Operation Center during Superstorm Sandy. County Executive Mike Hein provides GIS mapping information to Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti that was used for resident evacuations.
