Be ready for anything

September marks the observance of National Preparedness Month and the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) is leading a statewide campaign with a diverse group of national, state and local partners to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness and to promote community involvement throughout events and activities.

National Preparedness Month 2009 focuses on changing perceptions about emergency preparedness to help Ohioans understand what it truly means to be ready.

Get an emergency kit. Expect the unexpected. Your family needs a disaster preparedness kit for life's unanticipated emergencies. Whether trying to respond to or recover from a flood, tornado or snow and ice storm, disaster preparedness is the key to survival and a disaster preparedness kit is a great first step toward protecting yourself and your loved ones. Get a kit.

When you're preparing your emergency kit, make sure you take the unique needs of your family into consideration. Do you have pets that will need food and water? Are there medications you need to include in the kit? If you have a kit, are the medications and food supplies current? You should periodically check your kit for expired items and items that need to be replaced. As the seasons change, so should your emergency kit. You'll need warm clothes and blankets in the winter, lighter clothes, sunscreen and extra water in the summer.

For more information about preparing for or responding to an emergency, including detailed information about making a kit that fits the needs of your family, log onwww.Ready.Ohio.govso you can be sure your family and loved ones are ready.