If a Disaster Occurred Tomorrow, Would You Be Ready?

The City of Richmond Office of Emergency Management, in support of National Preparedness Month, is partnering with Target at 7107 Forest Hill Avenue Richmond 23225 to host an outreach event open to all residents on Saturday, September 13^th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. There will be food, giveaways and information on becoming prepared. Representatives from Richmond Police, Fire, 911-Communications, Ambulance Authority and the American Red Cross will join the Office of Emergency Management. Event attendees can join in the nationwide preparedness conversation by tagging images they post on social media with #NatlPrep.

Sponsored annually by the Federal Emergency Management Agency September is designated as National Preparedness Month. This whole community-based initiative aims to educate and empower citizens to prepare for and respond to all types of hazards, including natural disasters and potential terrorist attacks. This year’s preparedness slogan is ‘Be Disaster Aware and Take Action to Prepare’.

National Preparedness Month is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for emergencies and disasters, both large and small. Emergencies can happen unexpectedly in communities like Richmond. Tornadoes, river and flash floods, snowstorms, an earthquake, and even widespread power outages have impacted Richmond and often can last for many days.

As commendable as they may be in their profession of assisting those in need, public safety officials may not always be able to reach residents quickly in an emergency or disaster. In order to assist public safety officials and the community, residents are encouraged to prepare their homes and families to be self sufficient for at minimum 72 hours following an incident.  Do not forget to include in the preparedness discussions and planning any loved ones that may rely on outside care for their daily needs. The more residents who are prepared, the quicker the whole community will recover.