# 8509
While our attentions have been understandably focused on the evolving MERS outbreak in the Middle East, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind my readers that this year, Ready.gov & FEMA are introducing a new initiative to get communities and individuals to take concrete steps towards better preparedness.
The focus for this first PrepareAthon is on some of the more common disaster themes; Tornadoes, Wildfires, Floods, and Hurricanes.
The thinking is, if you are prepared for these events, you are probably in pretty good stead to deal with anything else. And while the odds are far greater you may have to deal with one of these scenarios, with the MERS virus spreading in the Middle East, it wouldn’t be an altogether bad idea to put a little thought towards pandemic preparedness as well (just in case).
This description is from FEMA’s Facebook Page:
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
Save the Date: Join us on April 30, 2014 for America's PrepareAthon! National Day of Action. America's PrepareAthon! is an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and communities to prepare for specific hazards through drills, group discussions, and exercises. The first National Day of Action will revolve around taking the actions to prepare for tornadoes, wildfires, floods and hurricanes.
Interested in participating? There are several ways you can take part:
-Register to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! and provide details about the activities you’re planning.
-Plan your own local community or organizational preparedness event.
-Participate in discussion forums online with like-minded community members.
-Learn the actions to take for disaster preparedness and practice them!More information available at: http://1.usa.gov/1fM5Oai
America’s PrepareAthon! is a nationwide, community-based campaign for action to increase emergency preparedness and resilience through hazard-specific drills, group discussions and exercises conducted at the national level every fall and spring.
For more on emergency preparedness, you may wish to revisit some of these earlier blogs.
