September 25 – 30 is week five of National Preparedness Month . The theme for this week is “Lead Up to National PrepareAthon! Day,” which occurs on September 30.

Throughout this week, we encourage you to take specific actions to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for disasters that affect you the most. Once you complete your activities, be sure to register your actions on the America's PrepareAthon! website. You can also be recognized on the website as a campaign supporter when you register your activity.

Looking for preparedness ideas? America's PrepareAthon! promotes 10 Ways to Participate in this national campaign, including:

• Accessing alerts and warnings. Receiving timely information about weather conditions or emergencies can help you know when to take action to be safe. You can receive warnings through wireless emergency alerts, text messages, or emails from local officials, or enhanced telephone notifications. You can also download the FEMA app to receive alerts from the National Weather Service and other notifications.
• Testing communications plans. Communication networks, such as mobile phones and computers, could be unreliable during disasters, and electricity could be disrupted. Advance planning will help ensure that all the members of your household know how to reach each other and where to meet up in an emergency. Be sure to practice your plan regularly, so everyone knows how to respond when seconds count; and
• Documenting and ensuring your property. Maintaining a detailed inventory of your property's contents will assist you if a disaster strikes. Your inventory will help you prove the value of what you owned, which could speed your claim processing, and will provide documentation for tax deductions you can claim for your losses.

Businesses, faith-based organizations, and schools are also encouraged to participate. Download customizable logos, checklists, surveys, and certificates of completion to show your support.

Start planning today!

If you're taking action during National Preparedness Month to prepare for disasters, take a picture! Share your “#PrepareAthon Story” on Twitter and Facebook using #PrepareAthon, and we'll share the best images on our social media accounts during the week leading up to the September 30 National PrepareAthon! Day.

Ready, set, share!

If you're looking for a preparedness idea, the Girls Scouts of Suffolk County (GSSC), NY are a great example of how to get youth involved in preparedness. In 2015, the GSSC partnered with America's PrepareAthon! to host Dare to Prepare, a two-day camping excursion and training session at Camp Edey in Bayport, NY. On the first day of the event, scouts learned self-defense and survival skills from U.S. Marine Corps staff. Afterward, they worked toward earning the Safety and First Aid Badge in a session on how to handle medical emergencies. The scouts also developed family emergency and pet emergency plans.

To find out about the exciting skills scouts learned on day two of the excursion, read the full story on the America's PrepareAthon! website.