If you have been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers resources to help you recover.

Visit www.fema.gov/hurricane-harvey for trusted recovery information. To find and apply for assistance, visit www.disasterassistance.gov .

Whether you want to donate cash, goods, or services to assist in the Hurricane Harvey response, make sure you do so responsibly with information from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Learn the safest and most effective ways to donate or volunteer with these FEMA guidelines:

• Cash is the most efficient method of donating.  Cash offers voluntary agencies the most flexibility in obtaining needed resources and pumps money into the local economy to help businesses recover.
• Donate through a trusted organization.  Find trusted national and state level agencies to donate or volunteer from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster .
• Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area. Contact and affiliate with an established organization to ensure that you receive training to respond in the most effective way.
• Be safe.  Do not self-deploy. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and authorities identify opportunities to help.
• Be patient.  There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster.

If you need help in determining who to give to, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website has a list of  major non-profits active in disaster work  or  contact your FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaison  for guidance. For more information, visit www.fema.gov/volunteer-donate-responsibly . 

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, take a moment to review flood safety information. When you see flood waters ahead: Turn Around Don't Drown .

Stay safe by avoiding flood waters altogether.

If you come upon flood water, you may not know how deep the water is or what is in the water that you cannot see including hazardous materials, sharp items, or downed power lines. Consider these facts to be flood smart:

• Just six (6) inches of moving water can knock you down.
• Just one (1) foot of water can sweep your vehicle off the roadway.
• If your vehicle is trapped in rapidly moving water, stay in the vehicle.
• If water is moving at a high velocity and is rapidly rising in the vehicle, exit the vehicle immediately, seek refuge on the roof of the vehicle, and signal for help. 
• If your vehicle stalls, leave it immediately (unless water is moving at a high velocity) and move to higher ground . Rapidly rising water can engulf the vehicle and its occupants, sweeping them away.

For more information on how to prepare and stay safe download the Prepareathon How to Prepare for a Flood guide.

Friday, September 1, marks the beginning of National Preparedness Month (NPM) 2017.

This year's theme is Disasters Don't Plan Ahead. You Can. In addition to the overarching theme for the month, each week has a theme highlighting different preparedness actions.

The focus for the first week of NPM, September 1-9, is, Make a Plan for Yourself, Family, and Friends. Learn how to plan with the following steps from the Ready Campaign:

• Make an Emergency Plan.
• Sign up for  alerts and warnings  in your area.
• Learn your evacuation zone and have an evacuation plan .
• Check your  insurance  coverage and review the  Document and Insure Your Property guide .
• Plan financially for the possibility of disaster.

National Prepareathon Day, September 15, is the perfect time for families, businesses, and organizations to take a few minutes to discuss their emergency plan. It is a day of action when families, organizations, and entire communities can practice their plan and better prepare for hazards and other emergencies.

If you plan to host a preparedness event, we encourage you to share it on the Prepareathon website . You can find more resources for National Preparedness Month, including the NPM social media toolkit , at www.ready.gov/september .