Resources You Can Use: Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness

Posted by Sarah Levin-Lederer on September 20th, 2021 Posted in: Blog
Tags: Emergency Preparedness (EPP), resources

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September is national preparedness month and the week three theme was “Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness.” But what does that mean? What actions can we take to prepare for emergencies that are low or no cost?

Preparedness can feel daunting, but it isn’t an all or nothing activity. Small actions can make a big difference during and after an emergency. Increasing knowledge about what to do during an emergency, creating and practicing personal emergency plans and getting involved with emergency response in your community are all ways that you can start preparing now at no cost. Learn more with the following resources.

Increase your emergency knowledge:

• Learn about the kinds of emergencies that happen in your area and what to do.
• Know where to get information during an emergency.
• Teach kids about emergency preparedness.

Make a plan:

• Involve the whole family.
• Make sure you consider the needs of each family member.
• Don’t forget pets.
• Plan how you’ll communicate with family, friends and responders.
• Practice your plan regularly and update as needed.

Help your community prepare:

• Order free resources from FEMA to share.
• Download free resources from Ready.gov.
• Find multilingual resources on MedlinePlus.

Become an emergency response volunteer:

• Get involved before an emergency to get training and more.
• Find volunteer organizations in your community like the Medical Reserve Corps and CERT.
• Teens can get involved too through the Youth Preparedness Council and Teen CERT.
• The Red Cross also has volunteer opportunities and trainings.

September is National Preparedness Month, but preparing for an emergency is a year round activity. Find more resources curated by NNLM staff on the Emergency and Disaster Resource Guide.

And rember to follow trusted sources on social media to avoid scams and hoaxes and stay up-to-date during quickly changing emergencies.  On twitter, follow @nnlm_region7, @fema, @femaregion1 (New England), @femaregion2 (New York), @nws, local news outlets, and local and state government accounts.