September is National Preparedness Month

National Preparedness Month, recognized each September, provides an opportunity to remind us that we all must prepare ourselves and our families now and throughout the year. Throughout the month we will focus on planning, with an overarching theme: Disasters Happen. Prepare Now. Learn How.

Be Ready to Act In an Emergency

This month we’ve discussed how to plan for, prevent, and reduce the impact of emergencies and disasters. But emergencies will still happen and emergency situations can be chaotic and fast paced. Some key points to help you handle them include:

• Have a plan and rehearse it before you need to use it.
• Always look to identify all the exits and ways out.
• Recognize the hazard or emergency and act immediately.
  • Always evacuate when the fire alarm sounds.
  • Always follow the instructions in a CornellALERT or other emergency alert messages.
• Have a “survivor mentality” by keeping a mindset to:
  • Adapt to the situation
  • Overcome the challenges
  • Be resilient no matter what happens to you

Week 4: Response

Knowing what to do during an emergency can help us and our families survive the situation.

• Review the Cornell Emergency Action Guide so you know what to do for various situations.
• Review and practice your home emergency plan with your family. Make sure everyone knows:
  • Primary and alternate escape paths
  • The place to meet outside after you escape
  • Evacuate if the smoke or carbon monoxide alarm sounds
  • Fire is fast, hot, dark and deadly! Learn the truth about fire.
• Take training to learn skills you can use during an emergency.
  • First Aid and CPR Training
  • Fire Extinguisher and Fire Safety Training
  • Active Violence and Personal Safety Training
• Assemble and maintain an emergency kit so you have tools and supplies for emergency situations.
• Find your home’s utilities and learn how to turn them off.
• Keep first aid kits in your home, car, and workplace and inspect them regularly.

We hope you enjoyed our preparedness month topics and found them useful. Check back regularly for new topics and the upcoming introduction of our new preparedness blog. We welcome your comments by e-mail to oem@cornell.edu.

Preparedness Month Topics by Week

• Week 1: Make and Practice Your Plan
• Week 2: Learn Life Saving Skills and Prevention
• Week 3: Reduce the Impacts of Emergencies and Disasters Through Mitigation
• Week 4: Be Ready to Act and Respond in an Emergency