Emergencies ranging from health epidemics like the H1N1 flu to extreme weather like tornadoes or hurricanes can hit at a moment's notice.
FEMA's Ready Campaign is asking Americans to think about the importance of having emergency preparedness plans for their families, businesses, and communities, and how prepared they are for anything from thunderstorms to terrorist attacks. Here at the hospital, the Center for Emergency Medical Preparedness (CEMP) is charged with spreading the word for the campaign.
This year the Ready Campaign is helping Americans understand that preparedness goes beyond fire alarms, smoke detectors, dead-bolt locks and extra food in the pantry to change perceptions about emergency preparedness and help Americans understand what it truly means to be "Ready."
A study released by Citizen Corps, FEMA's grassroots community resilience movement, found that Americans are not as prepared as they think. Fewer than half of individuals (42%) had an emergency plan for their home. Additionally, individuals' low level of familiarity with critical local information such as their community’s alerts and warning systems (45%), shelter locations (31%), and community evacuation routes (26%) indicate that these essential elements are missing or incomplete from household planning efforts.
Ready's web site features downloadable emergency supply checklists and family emergency plan templates as well as new online emergency planning tools.
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In response to events following September 11, 2001, and in accordance with the development of the federal Department of Homeland Security, the State of Connecticut developed an aggressive and nationally recognized disaster preparedness program.
The mission of the Injury Prevention Center (IPC) is to reduce unintentional injury and violence among Connecticut residents.