County proclaims National Preparedness Month and offers free tools to get prepared

The Thurston Board of County Commissioners proclaimed September National Preparedness Month to further promote family and community disaster planning and emergency preparedness.

"We encourage all county residents to prepare themselves to be self-sufficient for a minimum of two weeks following a natural or human-caused disaster," said Thurston County Emergency Services Interim Assistant Director Ben Miller-Todd.

Miller-Todd said the proclamation is a nationwide effort to promote resiliency among the public, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This year's theme is "A Lasting Legacy, the life you've built is worth protecting. Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family."

He also encouraged county offices and employees to be prepared at all times "they can continue to provide essential public services after a disaster and support the county's disaster response and recovery mission."

For this month, Miller-Todd said the county's Emergency Services Department would boost its dissemination of emergency preparedness information through various outreach activities, including social media and community partners.

"None of us would like to think when a bad thing is going to happen, but it's good to know that people like you are working on this, working to make sure that we are prepared in case something happens," said Commissioner Carolina Mejia.

Resources

Thurston County offers free services to help residents get prepared for disasters and other long-term emergencies, including TC Alert, a hazard warning service; the QuakeSmart Tool Kit and links to various other resources. It’s all available at the county’s website.