The Catskill Chronicle

NEW YORK STATE (September 2, 2015) – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced that September is Preparedness Month across New York State and urged all New Yorkers to create an emergency plan that they can activate in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. In addition to forming an emergency plan that can help protect individuals, families and businesses in times of a crisis, the Governor also urged citizens to prepare a portable, emergency supply kit containing enough food, water, medications and other consumables to last seven to ten days. These recommendations can help save lives and reduce suffering in the event of a disaster.

"When disaster strikes, we want all New Yorkers to be prepared and ready to respond, Governor Cuomo said. “By planning ahead and taking a few simple safety steps, we can all be ready for unpredictable weather conditions and emergencies.”

Preparedness Month is a national effort sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The 2015 National Preparedness Month theme is – Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.FEMA encourages Americans to create a family emergency communications plan that includes up-to-date contact information for individuals that may need to be reached during a disaster.

In addition to the overall theme, each week of National Preparedness Month will also promote the following hazard focused themes:

· September 1 – 5: Flood
· September 6 – 12: Wildfire
· September 13 – 19: Hurricane
· September 20 – 26: Power Outage

To help New Yorkers prepare for an emergency, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), in partnership with the New York National Guard, are offering Citizens Preparedness Corps training courses throughout the state. To date, more than 64,000 New Yorkers have completed a preparedness training course. Through this program, more citizens have received emergency preparedness training than at any other time in the state’s history. To register for a training course or to volunteer, visit the State’s Citizens Preparedness Corps website.

More training classes are added frequently. To find out when Citizen Preparedness Corps training will be coming to your area, sign up to be notified of future classes at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/aware-prepare/nysprepare/registration/future-notify.cfm

To help keep New Yorkers informed of a variety of hazards, the state offers a website – NY-Alert. The state’s all-hazards alert and notification system, NY-Alert contains critical emergency-related information including instructions and recommended protective actions developed in real-time by emergency service personnel. NY-Alert sends individuals free messages on severe weather warnings, significant highway closures, hazardous materials spills, and many other emergency conditions. Additionally, the service provides response actions being taken by local and state agencies and protective actions that individuals should take to protect themselves, their family and property. To subscribe, visit http://www.nyalert.gov/. Individuals also can subscribe to the state’s new mobile app, iAlertz, for the latest alerts and notifications.