Along with plans, supplies, and drills, you need to prepare your wallet for a disaster.

National Financial Capability Month ended on April 30.  However, that doesn't mean you should stop preparing! Continue to prepare for your financial future with the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) .

The EFFAK can help you collect and organize key financial, medical, and household information.  The EFFAK also provides tips and resources to help you plan for big and small emergencies.

You can get the EFFAK for free. Call 1-800-480-2520 and ask for publication number 1075. It is also available as a free download online at www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness or at www.operationhope.org .

Learn more about financial preparedness at  Ready.gov or MyMoney.gov . 

Participate in National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day , Saturday, May 5. Find helpful tools and tips from the National Fire Protection Association  (NFPA) . Then, add your project to the event map . 

The NFPA provides several project ideas , such as removing dry leaves and downed tree limbs from your property or distributing wildfire safety information in your neighborhood.  Wildfires can occur anywhere; participation in these activities is an important step toward protecting your property and community from a wildfire emergency.

Develop a 2018 National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day activity with these resources:

• Download the customizable flyer . Fill in your event details and start distributing today.
• Review the  safety tips and safety gear . Each participant needs to be familiar with the information.
• Use this  news release template  to announce your community's participation.
• Use the hashtag  #WildfirePrepDay  and share your project on social media. Promote the event with  pre-written Twitter and Facebook posts .
• Add the  web banner  to your webpage.

To learn more about wildfires, visit the U.S. Fire Administration Wildfire Safety page or download the How to Prepare for a Wildfire guide.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently presented certificates to three 2017 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awardees.

The Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe of California, the Connecticut Citizen Corps Council, and Cindi Barker received their awards last week.

Blue Lake Rancheria  received the John D. Solomon Whole Community Preparedness award. They worked with the American Red Cross to make the Blue Lake Casino and Event Center into a public shelter, where they installed backup “green” power. A grant from the Department of Homeland Security helped create a Resilience Training Center. The center offers disaster training and exercises.  Blue Lake Rancheria  also held a preparedness fair for the public.

The Connecticut Citizen Corps Council received the Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award for transitioning into the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.  The change resulted in additional accountability, more stringent fiscal control systems, and greater efficiency and effectiveness . It oversees 84 Community Emergency Response Teams, 23 Medical Reserve Corps units, and a Fire Corps unit.

Cindi Barker received the Community Preparedness Champions Award. She developed a Communication HUB project for the City of Seattle. The HUBs provide meeting places for people to organize, strategize, and help one another in the event of a major earthquake.

For more information on the FEMA ICP Awards, visit Ready.gov/awards . To learn more about the awardees, watch the videos on Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe of California, Connecticut Statewide Citizen Corps Council , and Cindi Barker .  We will feature profiles of each of these winners in upcoming eBriefs, so stay tuned!