Health & Fitness

September is National Preparedness Month

September 2013 marks the 10th annual National Preparedness Month. This year’s theme is, “You Can Be the Hero,” and Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) officials encourage residents to use this time to prepare for an emergency. Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is critical to keeping you and your family safe.

 According to a 2013 national survey conducted by the Ad Council, roughly 60% of Americans report not having a family emergency plan in case of a natural disaster or other emergency. Residents should be prepared if they lose power for more than a couple hours or if their home floods. Taking a few minutes to prepare and follow a few basic steps can keep their family safe and healthy during an emergency.

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 CCDPH staff developed a document, Be Aware. Get Prepared. Take Action!, in English, Spanish, Polish, Arabic and Chinese withsteps to assist families in creating a communications plan to help locate and identify each other during an emergency. In addition, it also includes a check list of things needed to build your family’s emergency supply kit and information on how to volunteer with the Cook County Medical Reserve Corps.

 Become familiar with the information contained in these documents and keep them in a place where they are easily accessible. Achieving a basic level of emergency preparedness is easy to do and can make the difference between getting hurt and staying safe.

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 Visit http://www.cookcountypublichealth.org/publications#PPE to download a copy of these documents.

 Like us: facebook/ccdph and follow us: twitter/@cookcohealth

This post is contributed by a community member. The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Patch Media Corporation. Everyone is welcome to submit a post to Patch. If you'd like to post a blog, go here to get started.


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