CALHOUN COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — To help promote family and community disaster preparedness throughout the year, September is being recognized as National Preparedness Month.

In Alabama, there are multiple natural disaster threats people should be prepared for, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, winter weather, and cold/flu season. On top of these potential disasters, first responders continue to respond to COVID-19 and there is no better time to be involved in preparedness than this coming September.

On Monday, the Calhoun County EMA will hold a question and answer session regarding
emergency preparation and how this could be affected by COVID-19.

Here are some things that you can do today to make sure you and your family are prepared:

Be Informed

• Have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts. There are multiple options to receive alerts: NOAA Weather Radios, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), and Calhoun County offers a FREE text alert service. To sign up, text CalhounEMA to 888-777. For more specific updates about COVID-19 you can text CALCOVID to 888-777.

Create A Plan

• If you do not have one, create an emergency plan for your family.
• Talk to your family about how you will communicate before, during and after a disaster.
• Make sure all plans are up-to-date regarding new guidelines for COVID-19. Visit cdc.gov.

Take Action

• After an emergency or storm, you may be without power for several days. Gather supplies such as food, water, and first aid kit, etc. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication.
• Do not forget the needs of pets.
• Have extra batteries for radios and
  flashlights.
• For more details on building an emergency kit visit http://www.calhounema.org/homepreparedness

More preparedness tips can be found on our website at www.calhounema.org and their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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