#PrepareAthon 2014: Disaster Preparedness in the Palm of Your Hand

Sep 11, 2014

FEMA ad for National Preparedness Month; National PrepareAthon! Day, September 30, 2014.
If there was one thing we learned on September 11, 2001, it’s that you can never be too prepared for a disaster of any magnitude.

September is aptly named** National Preparedness Month** and the government’s #PrepareAthon campaign—led by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)—is under way, culminating in National PrepareAthon! Day, September 30.

What better way to show your patriotism this Patriot Day than to commit to be prepared should a disaster should strike your community. In fact, more than 13,100,000 people have signed on (yes, that’s in millions) to participate in PrepareAthon! since July. The best part? Mobile technology makes it easy for you to do. Here’s how:

  1. First, register free for the nation’s PrepareAthon! Joining the community gives you special access to preparedness resources and late-breaking news from FEMA and emergency manager partners. Follow @PrepareAthon on Twitter from any smart phone and tablet.
  2. Download the FEMA mobile app to your smartphone or tablet to get safety and survival tips for any of the six hazards of focus, from earthquakes and tornadoes to flash floods and wildfires. Be a disaster reporter and use the app to safely submit real-time photos of extreme events in your community that emergency managers can use in their response.
  3. Sign up for FEMA’s text-messaging service to receive safety tips and search for shelters and disasters discovery centers. Select from a variety of disaster types to customize the messages you’ll receive.
  4. “Put help in your hand” by downloading apps from the American Red Cross for instant access to a range of topics including first aid tips for you and your furry friends, a handy locator for emergency shelters and a shiny new app for blood donations.
  5. School yourself in preparedness tips and lists and then spread the word to your social network! To keep up with breaking weather-related updates, bookmark mobile.weather.gov and hurricanes.gov/mobile on your smartphone and tablets and make use of that Twitter app!

Follow accounts like:

And don’t forget to follow your local NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office, community emergency management authorities and local media outlets on on your mobile device, too.

_So:_ _Be smart. Take part. Prepare today. And don’t forget: You can download more helpful government mobile apps from the [USA.gov Apps Gallery](http://www.usa.gov/mobileapps.shtml)._
Sep 11, 2014