August 28, 2020— The Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management for the City of Colorado Springs and El Paso County kick off September as National Preparedness Month (NPM).
Sponsored by the National Ready Campaign, this year’s NPM promotes family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. As the nation continues to respond to COVID-19, there is no better time to be involved this September.
Throughout the month of September, the above-listed organizations will promote preparedness themes to the community through social media and media engagement. The campaign will focus on different themes each week.
Week 1 September 1-5: Make A Plan
Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster. Make sure to update your plan based on the Centers for Disease Control recommendations due to the coronavirus.
Week 2 September 6-12: Build A Kit
Gather supplies that will last for several days after a disaster for everyone living in your home. Don’t forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet may have in case you have to evacuate quickly. Update your kits and supplies based on recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control.
Week 3 September 13-19: Prepare for Disasters
Limit the impacts that disasters have on you and your family. Know the risk of disasters in your area and check your insurance coverage. Learn how to make your home stronger in the face of storms and other common hazards and act fast if you receive a local warning or alert.
Week 4 September 20-26: Teach Youth About Preparedness
Talk to your kids about preparing for emergencies and what to do in case you are separated. Reassure them by providing information about how they can get involved.
The media is encouraged to localize these themes to share with their audiences. For more information, and to cover any of the above themes contact the above-listed public information officers.
Preparedness Month Event:
Wednesday, Sept 2 Mass Casualty Response Exercise
The Colorado Springs Airport will conduct its tri-annual Mass Casualty Response Exercise. The exercise, which has been modified to adhere to public health guidance for the COVID-19 pandemic, will allow personnel from several participating organizations to test their procedures for responding to a simulated aircraft emergency and exercise the use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The event is not open to the public. Media access will be facilitated through pooled media coverage. A formal media advisory will be released Monday, August 31.
How media can help:
- Highlight general preparedness topics in support of each weekly theme or topics unique to the Pikes Peak area in news coverage.
- Encourage residents to take simple preparedness steps to help them make the best decisions for their family during an emergency. Ready.gov/September
- Share and retweet social media preparedness messages from City of Colorado Springs, and El Paso County. Link to: national campaign social media messages.
- Incorporate the national campaign graphic into your organization’s website and encourage people to participate in the national campaign.
The Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management is responsible for providing mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and coordination for large-scale emergencies and disasters, both natural and human-caused, to residents of El Paso County and Colorado Springs for the purpose of saving lives and preventing property damage.