September is National Preparedness Month

September 19, 2018

National Preparedness Month (NPM) takes place each September and is an ongoing reminder to review the necessary preparations you should take in the event of a natural disaster. This September the sentiment seems even more relevant than most years as the Eastern coast feels the impact of Hurricane Florence and the Western States recover from a particularly deadly fire season.

This NPM the focus is on planning, with an overarching theme of: Disasters Happen. Prepare Now. Learn How., according to ready.gov. Visit the website today to get free reference materials, checklists, and information on how to best prepare for a natural disaster. It’s important to remember that nothing can beat being prepared when a disaster occurs, and there is no substitute for thinking ahead.

Some simple tips to help you prepare now:

  • Know how to perform some basic home maintenance like securing TVs, dressers, and appliances in event of an earthquake.
  • Learn how to turn off the utilities to your house like natural gas and water in the event of leaks or broken pipes.
  • Ensure your smoke alarms are working with fresh batteries, and also keep a fire extinguisher with the right ratings available in your home.
  • Learn CPR, and keep a First Aid Kit ready in your home.
  • Work with all your family to ensure that everyone knows how to evacuate the house beforehand.

Some other important information available on epa.gov, is how to report emergencies and some general information about any emergency.

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) also offers several items that can help you prepare this NPM. On govinfo, there is a newly-published feature article that offers several links to related publications on disaster preparedness. These publications cover a variety of topics ranging from the National Flood Insurance Program Administrative Reform Act of 2017 to the Pets Evacuation to the Disaster Relief Act of 1974.

GPO also offers access to several items that can help your organization celebrate this unique history. The U.S. Government Bookstore offers several titles about this topic in the Disaster Preparedness Collection.

Some of those include:

  • National Response Framework, 2008 – National Response Framework is a guide to how the Nation conducts all-hazards response. It is built upon scalable, flexible, and adaptable coordinating structures to align key roles and responsibilities across the Nation, linking all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector. It is intended to capture specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents that range from the serious but purely local, to large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters.
  • Disaster Preparedness Manual: Natural Disasters, Man-Made Disasters, Patient Fact Sheets – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs takes disaster planning and response very seriously. This manual, comprised of three major sections, summarizes actions that Veterans and their families can take to effectively cope with a disaster.  The sections are:
    • Natural Disasters (tornadoes, floods, etc.)
    • Man-Made Disasters (chemical attacks, bombings, etc.)
    • Patient Fact Sheets
  • Owlie Skywarn’s Weather Book – Provides an easy to read pamphlet about storms: hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, lightning, emergency preparation kits, safety at school, and more. Although written to be understandable for children ages 8 to 12, it contains valuable disaster preparation and response information of use to parents, teachers and other adults. At head of title on cover: Watch Out Storms Ahead.

GPO’s commitment to Keeping America Informed will continue to strive to provide access to Government information on all issues that affect the public in all aspects of their life.

The GPO Online Bookstore – Easy Access to Federal Publications

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at https://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

Find more than a million official Federal Government publications from all three branches at www.govinfo.gov.

About the author: Blogger contributor Scott Pauley is a Writer and Editor in GPO’s Library Services and Content Management offices.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

September is National Preparedness Month

September 3, 2015

As the year goes by, the temperature gets colder and the nights grow longer, so remember to stay safe and prepare for the unexpected. September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), and we are here to provide some helpful publications you can use to get ready. NPM was established in 2004 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It was created in response to the 9/11 attacks and is meant to reach out to citizens and help them plan for any disaster, man-made or natural, that could strike.

003-017-00569-1GPO has a handful of different guides from our U.S. Government Bookstore, and each covers steps to help prepare for a wide variety of different situations. The publication Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Lightning, Nature’s Most Violent Storms: A Preparedness Guide, Including Tornado Safety Information for Schools focuses on the many different weather-related disasters that can occur, the damage and destruction each could cause, and the best plans for preparing before such a catastrophe happens.

Another notable guide is Are You Ready?: An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness; it offers tips on anything from terrorist disasters to flash floods. Focusing on the before, during, and after, this manual is a great asset in creating some comprehensive safety techniques for yourself and family in the months to come.064-000-00058-6

For those looking for a piece oriented more towards the best options to take in the case of a tornado or hurricane, GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications has an extremely in-depth guide online for free! Safe rooms for tornadoes and hurricanes: guidance for community and residential safe rooms provides excellent background on the science of high-speed wind disasters and offers up some great advice to those living with the threat of such an event occurring. From the structural engineering of homes and buildings to the design of state-of-the-art safe rooms, this guide, developed by FEMA, outlines the best direction for creating a safe room for your home or community.

If you are more interested in hearing about the history and Federal side of National Preparedness Month, GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) has stored all of the proclamations made by the President to make this month official, as well as any Congressional Hearings or other related documents. For complete, free access, and to take your search further, click here.

If you just want more info on the entire month of September, and any events related to National Preparedness Month, we have a website for you to visit and browse, click here for access! You can also head over to the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration websites, which have steps and services to keep you updated on the weather around you. For those with disabilities who want to become better prepared, there is a website designed with helpful tips and steps for you in case of almost any emergency. Click here to get started. Feel free to go through all the links above and discover the best ways to prepare yourselves and your families for any situation. Stay safe!

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

You can obtain the resources mentioned in this blog by clicking on the links above or through any of these methods:

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Giovanni Salvatori is a Summer Intern in GPO’s  Library Services & Content Management office.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

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