Children look at a book in preparing for disasters
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Prepareathon

FEMA’s Prepareathon motivates people and communities to take action to prepare for and protect themselves against disasters. Its chief goals are to increase the number of people who:

  • Understand which disasters could affect their community
  • Know what to do to stay safe
  • Take action to increase preparedness
  • Improve their ability to recover from a disaster

Prepareathon events mobilize people to take an active role in protecting themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.

Moving Millions from Awareness to Action

  • Since 2013, more than 147 million participants have practiced preparedness activities through Prepareathon events.
  • In the last two years, local communities have conducted more than 1,000 registered Prepareathon events.
  • Events focus on preparedness actions that are easy, quick, and affordable.
    • Test communication plans
    • Drill or practice emergency response
    • Access Alerts and Warnings
    • Document and Insure Property

Building Capacity on the Local Level

Prepareathon events and resources are designed to address specific hazards and give people the opportunity to practice what to do during an emergency. This practical, hands-on exposure helps build more confident, better prepared individuals and communities.

Events

Prepareathon events:

  • Occur year round and can coincide with other campaigns, like National Preparedness Month
  • Educate children and adults about why being prepared is important
  • Reach out to include people who are disproportionately affected by disasters
  • Build people’s confidence in their ability to take preparedness actions
  • Train people how to take action at home, at school, at work, and at play

Read stories that feature successful local events whose participants used Prepareathon materials to increase preparedness across the whole community.

Shareables

The Prepareathon Planning Guide and Promotion Guide help organizers plan, publicize, conduct, and evaluate their events.

Take Action to Prepare Guides. Learn how to sign up for alerts and warnings, create a family emergency communication plan, document and insure property, and protect critical documents and valuables.

Find these resources and more at www.ready.gov/prepare