National Preparedness Month

Alabama Citizen Corps, in partnering with the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Alabama Department of Homeland Security, hosted a series of events as part of National Preparedness Month.   National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort that educates Americans on how to prepare for multiple types of emergencies and encourages citizens to take an active role in assuring for their personal safety and the safety of their family.

As part of National Preparedness Month, Alabama hosted Be Ready Day, an annual statewide community preparedness event, held on September 14, 2006, in Huntsville, Alabama. Attendees received education and training on ways to prepare for disasters and emergencies, learned of volunteer opportunities in their communities, and had the opportunity to observe first responders demonstrating their preparedness and response capabilities.  Before Be Ready Day, a camp training children on emergency preparedness, Be Ready Camp, was also hosted in Huntsville at the Space and Rocket Center.

Recognizing the important role that churches play in our communities, Alabama designated September 24, 2006 as Be Ready Sunday. Faith-based organizations were encouraged to include preparedness materials in their bulletins and newsletters, post preparedness information on their websites, and speak to their congregations on the need to prepare.

In addition to events, Alabama Citizen Corps created a website dedicated to individual preparedness, including information on how to prepare for an emergency at www.ServeAlabama.gov/BeReady.htm.  For further  information on National Preparedness Month visit  www.ready.gov and www.citizencorps.gov.