September Proclaimed Emergency Preparedness Month

Governor Charlie Baker has proclaimed September 2020 to be Emergency Preparedness Month in Massachusetts to encourage residents, families, and organizations to prepare for emergencies and disasters. September is also National Preparedness Month.

The Commonwealth will kick-off the annual observance by launching a public Thank You campaign on social media to recognize the tireless efforts of essential workers and organizations that are doing so much to keep the Commonwealth prepared and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of emergency preparedness, and the role we all must play in better preparing our homes, workplaces and communities for the unexpected. ~ Governor Charlie Baker.

 

Governor Baker says that the observance will also highlight the incredible contributions of so many individuals who have stepped up every day to ensure that essential services and goods continued to be delivered throughout this public health emergency.

Emergency Preparedness Month provides us with an opportunity each year to focus on what we can do to make ourselves and our families better prepared… Especially now, we are thankful for all the tireless efforts of the Commonwealth’s essential workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.~ Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.

 

Visitors to Mass.Gov/EPmonth can download a certificate of appreciation to thank an essential worker or organization in their community. After personalizing the certificate, residents are asked to post a picture of the certificate to the social media platform of their choice with the hashtag #EPisEssential.

During September, MEMA and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health will share information on their respective social media accounts about emergency preparedness topics including emergency planning, building an emergency kit, preparing for disasters, youth preparedness, ways to get involved in community preparedness, and more. This emergency preparedness information includes guidance about how to prepare for emergencies during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will feature signage along highways to raise awareness of Emergency Preparedness Month.

To say thank you to an essential worker or organization in your community, and to find resources on how to prepare for emergencies large and small, visit http://www.mass.gov/EPmonth.

(Information here was obtained from a MEMA media release)