WYTHE COUNTY, Va. – “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” That’s the message emergency managers are sharing with people all over the nation during the month of September.

September is National Preparedness Month and the Wythe County Department of Emergency Management is urging everyone to take steps to make a plan and know what to do during an emergency.

Whether you deal with the possible threats of flooding, winter weather, hurricanes or power outages, the preparedness steps to take are the same. They include:

• Knowing your risk for where you live;
• Having an individual and family preparedness plan in place;
• Practicing that plan;
• Putting together an emergency kit with water and non-perishable supplies to last for at least three days for you, your family and your pets;
• Ensuring that your contact list is up-to-date for people you may need to reach out to during a disaster; and
• Establishing alternative methods of communication in case traditional means are not available.

Additionally, September 30 is “National PrepareAthon Day.” Residents are encouraged to participate by doing a simple, specific action or activity to improve your preparedness and your family’s preparedness; or it can be something more elaborate that involves your neighborhood, your place of worship, your entire workplace or your community.

Visit www.ready.gov or www.ready.gov/prepare for more information on America’s PrepareAthon! You can find tools to stage your own emergency preparedness drills, as well as register any preparedness activities for you or your community.

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