Are Your Finances Ready for a Disaster?

Building emergency supply kits, developing emergency plans, and participating in disaster drills are important emergency preparedness activities. Another important part of being prepared includes being financially ready before an emergency happens?  April is Financial Literacy Month, which serves as an effort to teach Americans how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. This includes knowing what to do if you are impacted by a disaster. “Just a couple of months ago a tornado hit about five miles from my home,” said Rod Griffin during Prepareathon’s Financial Preparedness Periscope.  “And, one of things we saw was that personal documents end up in the wind, literally.” Rod works for Experian, a company which performs as a credit bureau. The Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK), a joint publication fromOperation Hope and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, contains information for you to prepare now for a financial emergency. It includes guidance on having adequate insurance, a plan to pay your bills, and accessing your important records  as well as information on establishing accounts to help you get back on your feet faster. Share with us on social media when you complete your EFFAK by posting, “I’ve completed my Emergency Financial First Aid Kit and you should too!”http://bit.ly/finprep #Prepareathon #FLM2017 Financial Preparedness Resources ·         The EFFAK in English, Spanish, and a reader enabled English version that is fillable online. (2015 version) ·         An EFFAK overview slide presentation in English and Spanish. ·         EFFAK checklists and forms in standard and reader enabled/fillable versions. ·         Find out how ready you are with the Disaster Financial Recovery Score from Operation Hope. ·         Watch this video from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau- Saving for Financial Shocks and Emergencies. Financial preparedness is one of the many ways to participate in Prepareathon (formerly America’s PrepareAthon!), a grassroots, community-based campaign for action to get families, organizations, and entire communities better prepared for emergencies.  As part of the Prepareathon campaign, we invite you to register your preparedness action at www.ready.gov/prepare.

Opening Soon: The 2017 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards Application Period

Did you or your organization make a difference to advance disaster preparedness in your community? The time is near for submitting applications for the 2017 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards. Since 2009, these awards highlight innovative local practices and achievements by recognizing individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward strengthening their community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster. To learn more about the FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards, visit http://www.ready.gov/preparedness-awards.You can also view profiles of past award winners to find out about their outstanding achievements.

Get Ready to Take a #SafePlaceSelfie

#SafePlaceSelfie is a grass roots campaign as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather-Ready Nation to get individuals, businesses, and all organizations ready, responsive, and resilient to extreme weather events.  Knowing your "safe place" when extreme weather threatens is the #1 preparedness action anyone can take.  To this end, a social media campaign will be launched the week of April 3, culminating in a Tweet Chat on Thursday, April 6. Take a #SafePlaceSelfie, share it on social media starting April 3 and participate in NOAA’s Tweet Chat on April 6 at 1pm ET.