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With September being National Preparedness month, the Covington County Emergency Management Team has partnered with Alabama EMA and FEMA to help spread the awareness of weather preparedness.

“Be prepared for what, you might ask? There are all kinds of natural or manmade disasters. Floods, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Fires, Explosions, even Nuclear Disasters,” Covington County EMA assistant director Frank Shaffer said. “Good thing the same plan works for all of them. First, you sit down with your entire family and answer a few questions. Does everyone have a way to receive emergency notifications? What’s the plan, to shelter or do we evacuate? Do we have an emergency kit, if so, what is its condition? With all the new COVID-19 orders in place, have we updated our preparedness kit to include face coverings and disinfectant?”

When people are making their plan, Shaffer said people need to consider all the specific needs for their household.

“Do you have the correct medication for those who take it? Are there individuals in the home that need assistance during an emergency? It might be a good idea to assign someone to that person to be sure they get where they are supposed to,” Shaffer said. “Remember to complete your plan considering your pets if you have any.

Shaffer suggests that it’s good to write down the plan or have a paper copy with the kit. “In the time of disaster, our minds don’t always recall like they should,” Shaffer said. “Having that paper copy will save a lot of trouble trying to remember. So where do you start? ‘How do I get this thing going?’, you might be thinking. If you want a lot of answers on what you can do to keep your family prepared, just go to, www.ready.gov/plan. This website has tons of resources that can help you to be ready for all kinds of things.

Ready.gov has created a weekly theme for the month of September to help everyone get prepared.

Week one: Make a Plan- Work out communications and having your kit up to date…

Week two: Build a Kit- Seven-day supply of what you need to survive…

Week three: Prepare for Disasters- Know the risk, check insurance, tree limbs…

Week four: Teach Youth About Preparedness- Teach your children the plan instructions

“Finally, the Covington County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) wants you to know that, ‘Disasters Don’t Wait, and It Only Takes One Storm!’ Hurricane season lasts until November 31st. If you have any questions or if you want more information, you can come by our office at 272 Hillcrest Drive Andalusia, Alabama 36420 or you can call our office, 334.428.2670 or email to: ema@covcounty.com.”

Here are some other websites that might be useful; ema.alabama.gov, FEMA.gov, NOAA.gov.

“All these sites have loads of information for you to get prepared,” Shaffer said. “Remember, National Preparedness Month starts on September 1st. Are you ready?”