By By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

September marks National Preparedness Month, the annual campaign to remind everyone that preparing for emergencies and disasters can keep them, their families, and their communities safe reminds Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.

While the resources and information shared during National Preparedness Month and on Ready.gov can be used by anyone at any time to get prepared for whatever may come their way, this year, the campaign is focused on preparing Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. The Ready Campaign aims to ensure all of our friends and neighbors have the tools they need to prepare for disasters and build resilience before disaster strikes.

2024 Theme: “Start a Conversation”

Talking about bad things that could happen like a disaster or emergency isn’t always easy. We may think we’re protecting the people we love by avoiding these conversations, but they are important to start taking steps to get ready and stay safe.

Starting a conversation today can help you and your family to take more actions to prepare. By taking simple steps, you can build your preparedness at your own pace:

  • Set aside a time when everyone is calm and relaxed.
  • It may help to hold the discussions over a set time period, so decisions aren’t rushed, and people feel more comfortable talking about the topic.
  • Talk about steps you’ve taken to prepare and encourage others to ask questions about preparedness actions that might work for them.

To help spark a conversation, we’ve created preparedness toolkits in English, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese. Toolkits include graphics, publications and messaging you can share with family, friends and neighbors.

Later this fall, Ready and the Ad Council will launch a new Public Service Advertisements (PSA) campaign that will include broadcast, out of house graphics and more.

Previous Years

In 2021, FEMA’s Ready Campaign and the Ad Council broke ground by producing the first-ever national preparedness campaign specifically targeting the Latino community for National Preparedness Month. Released during Hispanic Heritage month, the advertisements centered around the Latino community’s commitment to personal planning for occasions and family milestones as a bridge to also planning for disasters.

In 2022, to continue these efforts, the National Preparedness Month campaign featured a call to action for the Black and African American community. The importance of preparing for disasters to create and protect a lasting legacy was highlighted.

The 2023 Ready Campaign focused on Older Adults. We know older adults can face greater risks when it comes to the multitude of extreme weather events and emergencies we now face, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability, or live in rural areas.

2023 Theme: Take Control in 1, 2, 3

The Ready Campaign’s 2023 National Preparedness Month theme was “Take Control in 1, 2, 3”. The campaign will focus on preparing older adults for disasters, specifically older adults from communities that are disproportionally impacted by the all-hazard events, which continue to threaten the nation.

We know older adults can face greater risks when it comes to the multitude of extreme weather events and emergencies we now face, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability, or live in rural areas.

Emergency managers and all those who work with and support older adult communities to access the new webpage available in English and Spanish languages at Ready.gov/older-adults and Ready.gov/es/adultos-mayores. For more information on preparing with disabilities visit Ready.gov/disability or Ready.gov/es/discapacidad in Spanish.

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