September 11, 2015—The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) joins with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready national public service advertising campaign and other organizations around the country to encourage home and business owners to take time during National Preparedness Month in September to reduce risk and be ready before natural disasters strike. IBHS recommends four simple steps, shown below, to help get prepared.
Julie Rochman, IBHS CEO and president, advised:
This year’s theme: “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today,” is a reminder that now is the time to take action and get ready before an emergency. Take measures today to prepare your family, home, business, employees and finances by creating a plan, and make sure your family and employees know what to do.
Four steps to prepare
IBHS offers four important steps to help participants prepare for an emergency such as a natural disaster:
- Know the risks – Before making a plan, it is important to know which natural disasters and severe weather events affect certain areas of the country. Use IBHS’ easy-to-use ZIP code tool to learn which areas are at risk for tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfire, floods, or hailstorms. The ZIP code tool also offers links to free disaster preparedness resources for those specific risks.
- Create a plan – Create a plan using free resources from the Ready campaign. Owners of iPhone, iPad, or iTouch also can use the III/IBHS Know Your Plan app to create customized checklists and share them with family and friends. Business owners can take advantage of IBHS’ free OFB-EZ (Open for Business-EZ) business continuity planning toolkit to help them create a plan.
- Stay informed – Sign up for severe weather and other emergency alerts through NOAA, the Weather Channel, the American Red Cross and others.
- Practice the plan – National Preparedness Month culminates with National PrepareAthon! Day on September 30 when communities, families and businesses around the country are encouraged to practice their emergency plans, and make sure everyone is ready. For more information on PrepareAThon! and find out if a particular community is holding an event on that day, visit the America’s PrepareAthon! campaign site.
