This month, LG&E and KU will once again join thousands of other companies and businesses across the United States as they promote National Preparedness Month. The annual event is designed to educate the public about the importance of emergency preparedness and encourage citizens, businesses and governmental agencies to prepare, plan and stay informed for any type of emergency.
Easy ways to keep your family safe
The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.
This September, prepare and plan in the event you must go for three days without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Just follow these four steps:
- Stay Informed: Information is available from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial resources. Access Ready.gov to learn what to do before, during, and after an emergency.
- Make a Plan: Discuss, agree on, and document an emergency plan with those in your care. For sample plans, see Ready.gov. Work together with neighbors, colleagues, and others to build community resilience.
- Build a Kit: Keep enough emergency supplies — water, nonperishable food, first aid, prescriptions, flashlight, and battery-powered radio on hand — for you and those in your care.
- Get Involved: There are many ways to get involved especially before a disaster occurs. The whole community can participate in programs and activities to make their families, homes and places of worship safer from risks and threats. Community leaders agree that the formula for ensuring a safer homeland consists of volunteers, a trained and informed public, and increased support of emergency response agencies during disasters.
And, when disasters strike in our area, rest assured that we'll supply you with up-to-date information to allow you and your family to make better planning decisions.
New on social media
New this year is a special opportunity for citizens to participate in a national social media promotion called Thunderclap. Thunderclap is a “crowd-speaking platform” promoting a jointly branded message from the Ready Campaign and America’s PrepareAthon! to remind Americans about the beginning of National Preparedness Month.
How does Thunderclap work?
Once you sign up, Thunderclap will sync your social media accounts to release an automatic Facebook post, Tweet or both Sept. 1 at 2 p.m., reminding your friends and followers to make a family emergency plan.
Thunderclap has been used by the White House, United Nations, Veterans Administration and more agencies and groups. The Ready Campaign launched a successful New Year’s Thunderclap supporting “Resolve to Be Ready” in 2014 reaching 1,304,972 people. Read here for more information about how to join the Thunderclap.
