Every September, FEMA’s National Preparedness Month (NPM) calls attention to what all communities need: readiness. The 2025 theme was “Preparedness Starts at Home.” FEMA asked individuals and households to take four key actions:
- Know the hazards / emergencies that could affect them.
- Make a family emergency plan.
- Build an emergency supply kit.
- Get involved in the community by taking proactive steps to help others prepare. (FEMA Toolkit PDF)
For public safety officials, this is a key moment to engage residents, build trust, and strengthen community resilience. Here are practical steps you can take and share:
What Public Safety Leaders Can Do
- Educate on risks. Share clear information about the hazards most likely in your jurisdiction (floods, hurricanes, wildfires, severe storms, etc.). Provide maps, localized data, and ensure translations for non-English speakers.
- Promote family emergency planning. Distribute fillable templates or checklists. Encourage households to include pets, elderly relatives, and people with special needs in their plans. Hosting workshops through schools, faith groups, or senior centers can help residents build confidence.
- Encourage emergency kits. Share ready-made checklists and visuals of “go-bags” and supply kits. Remind residents to check batteries, store 3 days of water, and include medications, important documents, and pet supplies.
- Boost community involvement. Promote local opportunities such as CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams), volunteer fire/EMS, or neighborhood preparedness groups. Recognize National Preparedness Month through proclamations, op-eds, or social media campaigns.
- Conduct a fall check-in on your alert system — test messages, update contact lists, and review protocols.
- Use October to run a local preparedness campaign that ties into FEMA’s momentum.
Tips for Rolling Out a Local Preparedness Campaign
- Focus each week on a different aspect (e.g., family plans, home kits, special needs, volunteerism).
- Use multiple channels: social media, radio, newsletters, schools, and community partners.
- Share real-life stories or visuals of how preparedness made a difference.
- Provide short, doable weekend tasks (e.g., “check your smoke alarms” or “print your emergency contacts”).
- Ensure accessibility: materials in multiple languages, large print, screen-reader friendly, and inclusive of all groups.
Useful & Shareable Resources
Here are tools and publications public safety officials can use directly or share with their residents:
- FEMA 2025 National Preparedness Month Toolkit — Graphics, templates, and ready-to-use messages. Download here
- Build A Kit — Emergency supply kit checklist for households. ready.gov/kit
- Make A Plan — Step-by-step templates for family emergency plans. ready.gov/plan
- Prepare My Family for a Disaster (DHS) — Guidance for family communication and reunification. dhs.gov
- Resources for Older Adults & People with Disabilities (ACL) — Specialized materials for vulnerable populations. acl.gov
- County Participation Toolkit (NACo / FEMA) — Proclamations, sample op-eds, templates for county-level campaigns. naco.org
- HUD’s “Preparing to Assist Families After a Disaster” Checklist — Practical guide for housing authorities and social service providers. HUD Exchange PDF
If you’re a Hyper-Reach customer, now is the perfect time to visit our Customer Hub. There you’ll find free, ready-to-use templates for social media, flyers, and other outreach tools designed to help you boost resident sign-ups and keep your community better informed and protected.
