August 30, 2013
September is National Preparedness Month
The new semester kicks off with September as National Preparedness Month. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, advises all students, faculty and staff to be prepared for emergency events.
One of the best ways for being prepared is having a disaster readiness kit. This can be as simple as a backpack containing items like a flashlight, a small radio, extra batteries, a solar powered or hand-cranked cellphone charger, energy bars, water and first-aid supplies. Once you have a kit put together, keep it in an easily accessible place, like under the bed or on the top shelf of a closet.
Kansas State University has emergency plans you can access at http://www.k-state.edu/safety/emergency/. Remember to get registered for the K-State emergency notification system. K-State Alerts will keep you informed of emergency events as they happen.
Also, prepare a communications plan on how to contact your family in case communications between home and school are disrupted. Make an emergency information list of names, phone numbers and locations of family members, doctors, medical insurance and other important resources.
For more information on National Preparedness Month, go to http://www.ready.gov/.