National Preparedness Month Begins!

San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (DEM) marks the ninth annual National Preparedness Month today, with an emphasis on celebrating our community’s social connections and to share what we have done to be ready for an emergency or disaster with our family and friends.

“I am very proud of San Francisco’s forward thinking culture. We are a city of activists, environmentalists and volunteers” said DEM Director Anne Kronenberg. “We care about our city and each other, which is why I urge all of us to take steps to build upon our emergency preparedness and share what we have done to be prepared with our loved ones during this National Preparedness Month.”

 

DEM offers San Francisco residents a variety of opportunities to prepare for any kind of emergency including:

• Alert SF: any member of the public can sign up at www.alertsf.org to receive text messages and emails with information about emergencies in San Francisco.
• 72 Hours.org: the City’s comprehensive emergency preparedness web site, www.72hours.org, provides detailed information on how to prepare for major emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and more, and is available in 5 languages.
• SF Heroes: DEM’s award winning smart phone emergency preparedness application, available on Android and iPhone, allows players to receive points to earn superhero badges through a variety of activities including check-ins at local events, educational quizzes, motivational checklists, and a leaderboard to compare achievements with friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter.

“We hope this September will serve as month-long reminder for San Francisco businesses, communities, families and individuals to do what they can to be better prepared and to talk about what we’ve done to be ready for any kind of emergency,” said DEM Executive Director Anne Kronenberg. “The good news is we may be more prepared than we think, and there are many simple ways to enhance your preparedness and resilience.”