| December 2019: Teens Lead & Succeed in CERT, Saving During the Holidays, and More |
| 12/05/2019 |
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Let’s Get Ready for Winter Weather
Parts of the Nation are already experiencing some winter-like weather and realizing winter will be here soon. Before the winter season arrives, get ready with some tips to prepare for extreme cold, snow, and ice. Share these tips with your family, friends, neighbors, and other loved ones.
- Review Your Emergency Supplies: Keep supplies on hand at locations where you spend the most time like your home, vehicle, and job. These supplies can include an alternate source for charging your phone, flashlight, blankets, food, medications, and more.
- Weatherize Your Home: Ensure your home is winter ready and take the time to insulate your pipes, caulk areas where cold air might enter your home, and weather strip your doors and windows.
- Winterize Your Car: Have a mechanic look at your vehicle to check your tire tread and traction as well as to ensure that your tires are inflated properly. Also, have your battery, anti-freeze, and cooling system checked. Don’t forget to replace worn windshield wipers.
Please visit ready.gov/winter-weather for a full list of tips and resources. You can also read our Winter Storm Information Sheet.
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Teens Lead and Succeed in CERT
Before Hsin Ya “Jessie” Huang became a member of FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council (YPC), she didn’t know much about Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). Mainly, she knew the program’s main goals to educate volunteers about the hazards their communities may face and to train them to respond safely, but not much else. As President of her school’s Red Cross Club, she was constantly on the lookout for more ways to get her fellow students thinking about disaster preparedness. “I feel like preparedness is really important because, as a teenager myself, if there is a disaster in my community, I want to be able to respond. The more people [are] prepared,” she says, “the better.”
However, she couldn’t find much information about CERT in her area. Read more…
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Upcoming Webinars
2018 National Household Survey Findings
Join FEMA Wednesday, December 11 at 3:00 PM EST to learn about the findings from the 2018 National Household Survey (NHS). This webinar will discuss the survey and provide a brief summary of findings, focusing on hazard-specific findings.
Learn more and register, click here.
Medical Reserve Corps Preparedness and Response
Join FEMA for this webinar that will cover how the New York City Medical Reserve Corps responds to and prepares the community for pandemics like the flu. Then, learn how other municipalities will share how they use their Medical Reserve Corps in blue sky missions. The webinar will be held Tuesday, December 10 at 12:00 PM EST.
Learn more and register here.
Updated CERT Basic Release
Join FEMA Tuesday, December 10 at 4:00 PM EST to learn more about the release of the updated CERT Basic Curriculum. FEMA will share the reasons for the changes, highlight best practices, and share impacts of the updated training. Participants will learn how trainers can deliver the updated training and when to order materials.
Learn more and register here.
Human Trafficking: The Hidden Crime
Human trafficking is a hidden crime, and it can happen in any community. Join FEMA January 21 for a webinar featuring a subject matter expert from the Homeland Security Investigations Component of the Department of Homeland Security. This department is tasked with investigating and dismantling human trafficking efforts throughout the country.
Learn more and register here.
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Resolve to Be Ready
New year, new resolution! In 2020, why not add a preparedness plan to your resolution list? FEMA asked the public about preparedness actions in the 2018 National Household Survey (NHS). Of the six actions listed below, nearly all respondents (94%) took at least one, but only 56% took three or more actions.
Basic preparedness actions included in the survey were:
- Attending a preparedness meeting or training
- Talking to others about preparedness
- Developing an emergency plan
- Seeking information
- Taking part in a drill
- Stocking supplies to last 3+ days
Stocking supplies to last at least three days was the most common preparedness action, with about 81% of people doing so. Consider picking up a few extra items at the store to make sure your household is prepared in 2020!
See what other questions FEMA asked and results of the 2018 NHS here.
Share Your Stories
If you have a story, event, or resource you would like to share, let us know at FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov.
Register Your Event
Register your event today at www.ready.gov/prepare. Whether you are hosting a Prepareathon, CERT training, or other preparedness event—be counted, get access to resources, and share with others!
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FEMA’s Youth Preparednes Council Application to Open in January
Leading at youth preparedness camps, deploying with CERT for major disasters, and speaking at national conferences—these are just a few examples of what members of FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council have been or will be up to this year. Each year, FEMA selects new students to serve a two-year term on the National Youth Preparedness Council (YPC).
These students have proven themselves to be leaders in their schools and communities, innovators, and champions of disaster preparedness. Throughout their time on the YPC, they also complete emergency preparedness projects and give input to preparedness strategies, initiatives, and projects. This past year, members completed projects about financial preparedness, citizen responder programs, and youth preparedness education.
The application for the 2020-2022 YPC will be available in January. Read more…
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YPC Member Deploys to California for the Camp Fire
Written by Grace Harris
About a year ago, I was looking forward to taking my first class with the Sacramento Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Today, I am a member of FEMA’s National Youth Preparedness Council from FEMA Region IX. I am also the Assistant Public Information Officer and Media Facilitator for Sacramento CERT. Sacramento CERT can deploy me anywhere in the state of California for up to two weeks at a time. That’s exactly what happened when, on November 10, I received deployment orders. Read more…
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YPC Alumna Coordinates Service Learning Summit
In January 2019, students, teachers, and organizations in Guam gathered for the 2019 Service Learning and Youth and Community Preparedness Summit. The summit was hosted by the Guam Department of Education (DOE) and the Guam Homeland Security Office of Civil Defense (GHS-OCD) Guam Youth Preparedness Program (GYPP). Kiahna Espia has been involved since the beginning. Read more…
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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year…to Save!
We’re told it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Parties, time off from work and school, and spending time with loved ones. However, don’t let the rush of holidays take away from your financial preparedness efforts! Read more…
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Disclaimer: The reader recognizes that the federal government provides links and informational data on various disaster preparedness resources and events and does not endorse any non-federal events, entities, organizations, services, or products. Please let us know about other events and services for individual and community preparedness that could be included in future newsletters by contacting
FEMA-prepare@fema.dhs.gov.
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