September is National Preparedness Month: City of West Hollywood Encourages Community to Prepare for Potential Disasters with an Emergency Plan

The City of West Hollywood recognizes September as National Preparedness Month. National Preparedness Month is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. With anticipated El Niño conditions and the potential for increased weather variability and significant precipitation events, it is especially important to remain prepared and take appropriate precautions.

The City of West Hollywood encourages community members to act by creating an emergency preparedness plan with family and neighbors, and don't forget to include family pets in the plan. An emergency preparedness plan can help everyone to stay safe and effectively communicate during and after potential disasters or emergencies.

The federal government's website, ready.gov has recommended a step-by-step plan to help prepare for any emergency:

Be in the Know: Make sure you know where to get information when you need it most. Download the FEMA App to get emergency safety alerts and resources.

Make a Plan: Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster.

Build a Kit: Gather enough supplies for everyone in your home (including pets) to last for several days after a disaster. Don't forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet may have in case you have to evacuate quickly.

Protect Family and Property: Limit the impacts disasters have on you and your family. Know the risk of disasters in your area and check your insurance coverage. Learn how to make your home stronger in the face of storms and other common hazards; act fast if you receive a local warning or alert.

Teach Youth about Preparedness : Talk to your kids about how to prepare for emergencies and what to do in case you are separated. Reassure them by providing information about how they can get involved.

Prepare Your Pets for Disasters : Your pets are important members of your family and should be included in your emergency plan.

Be There for Your Community: From volunteering in your community to learning skills such as first aid and CPR, you can take steps to prepare for disasters and keep your family safe and make your neighborhood and community more resilient.

To help spark a conversation, ready.gov has made available preparedness toolkits in multiple languages. Toolkits include graphics, publications, and messaging sharable with family, friends and neighbors.

Additionally, the City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provide community safety and emergency alerts/notifications via Everbridge Nixle, which is used by more than 8,000 public safety agencies. To opt-in, text a West Hollywood ZIP code to 888777.

Los Angeles County provides emergency notification SMS/text messages via Alert LA County. Additional information is available on LA County's Alert LA County website at ready.lacounty.gov/emergency-notifications.

To learn more community safety tips, please visit the City of West Hollywood's public safety website area at www.weho.org/publicsafety.

For more information about National Preparedness Month, please contact the Public Safety Division at, (323) 848-6414 or at [email protected]. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City's calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. Receive text updates by texting "WeHo" to (323) 848-5000. Read feature articles about people, places, and City events at www.helloweho.com. City programs and services information is available at www.weho.org.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood's Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or [email protected].