What exactly is disaster resilience?
FEMA defines it as “the ability to prepare for threats and hazards, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from adverse conditions and disruptions.”
FEMA is sharing these tips to help foster disaster resilience in our communities:
1 – Prepare
• Creating an emergency supply kit is an easy way to be prepared before disaster strikes. English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog, Korean) This goes for individuals, households, and pets too.
• Having an emergency communication plan allows individuals to reach key people in their lives.
2 – Adapt
• Being in the know about weather, road hazards, and emergency alerts helps everyone stay ready. Residents can look to reliable sources for updates about changing conditions in the area, like local news outlets and the free FEMA App.
3 – Withstand and Recover
• Staying safe could mean sheltering in-place or evacuating to withstand a disaster. Alerts and warnings from local emergency management can help residents decide their best option.
• Whether it’s for individuals and households or for small businesses there are programs available to support survivors on the road to recovery. If someone is affected by a disaster they may be able to get assistance from FEMA or from state partners and local agencies.
FEMA invites us to share the resource links above as well as the resources in our National Preparedness Month Toolkit, which has suggestions for how to share this info on social media. Resilience is a process and a collective effort – the more we share, the more we support our nation to be resilient before, during, and after disasters.
National Preparedness Month is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. Learn more at these links: