September Is National Preparedness Month
Since its inception in 2004, National Preparedness Month is observed each September in the United States. Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Preparedness Month encourages Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses, schools, and communities.
In fact, FEMA has an entire website devoted to helping you stay prepared at READY.GOV – we encourage all of our followers to visit the website keep you and your family prepared!
National Preparedness Month serves to encourage individuals across the nation to take important preparedness steps including: getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, being informed about the different emergencies that may affect you, as well as taking the necessary steps to get trained and become engaged in community preparedness and response efforts.
In 2016, the National Household Survey revealed that while more that 75% of Americans surveyed report having supplies set aside in their homes just for disasters, less than 50% have a household emergency plan.
Usually, you’ll never know when an emergency will happen. Emergencies and disasters typically aren’t planned and can’t be circled on a calendar. It only makes sense to have a plan in place, whether it’s for your home and family, business, during travels, or outdoor activities.
Resources To Help Plan For An Emergency
There are several online resources that provide plenty of information about the many ways you can plan for emergency and disaster scenarios. One great online resource is Ready.gov. Launched in February 2003, Ready.gov is a national public service campaign designed to educate and empower the American people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters. The goal of the campaign is to promote preparedness through public involvement.
Ready.gov asks individuals to do four key things:
(1) stay informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses
(2) make a family emergency plan and
(3) build an emergency supply kit, and
(4) get involved in your community by taking action to prepare for emergencies.
Ready.gov also provides links to prepare for pandemics, hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, extreme heat and more. They also have tips on making plans for specific disasters or emergencies and what should be in emergency preparation kits.
Ready.gov also provides a great online calendar planning tool that marks preparedness activities and provides customizable resources to help promote preparedness throughout the year.
Another great online resource is FEMA.gov – a government agency with more than 20,000 employees that was established to help people before, during and after disasters.
Supplemental Oxygen For Your Emergency Aid Kits
Whether you enjoy traveling, workout out, hiking, skiing, cycling or even soaking up the sun at the beach, everyone has their favorite outdoor activities. But for every adventure, most people have essentials to bring along in a bag or kit – whether for convenience, or in case of an emergency. And just like bottled water, Boost Oxygen is a smart and easy addition to any bag or kit of essentials – no matter your favorite activity!
Did you know that according to the CDC, nearly half of U.S. households do not have the proper resources or plans in place in case of a home emergency?
The majority of medical emergencies take place at home, and while you certainly can’t plan for EVERY type of emergency, you can have a reliable emergency kit to help you or a loved one during the important minutes before first responders arrive.
In any home emergency kit, it’s important to have band-aids, gauze pads, gloves, alcohol pads, aspirin, burn gel, antibiotic ointment, tape, tweezers and scissors.
During a health emergency, it’s common to see first responders and EMTs administering medical-grade oxygen to patients. Oxygen is essential for life. Did you know that oxygen can be administered to ANYONE because no one is allergic to oxygen? Your body uses oxygen to create energy, for brain health, to keep tissues and organs functioning properly, for metabolization and more. So adding supplemental oxygen to any home emergency kit only makes sense.
