September is National Preparedness Month

Each September, National Preparedness Month is recognized nation-wide to promote family and community disaster planning now and throughout the year. As we continue to respond to COVID-19, we are all feeling the results of preparedness, and occasionally of its lack. Plus, of course, natural and man-made disasters do not stop just because there is a pandemic. This month is a chance to check in on how things are going and fill in any gaps in your readiness for whatever comes next.

Prepare to Protect

2021’s theme is: Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love. Over the course of the month, the Weston Emergency Reserve Corps (WERC) will highlight tips and resources on a different topic:

Week 1: Knowledge
Week 2: Prevention
Week 3: Planning
Week 4: Preparation
Week 5: Participation

In the coming weeks, WERC will pass along tips and recommendations for how to be more prepared to help yourself, your family, and your community. While these suggestions may be just words, we are strong believers that before action comes knowledge. We will do our best to digest what we think is useful for you to know as you decide what steps to take, but we also encourage everyone to look to trusted, well-vetted information sources on their own as well. Here are some that we recommend:

Westonma.gov - The Town of Weston’s website, which includes many resources in the Public Safety and Health and Human Services sections
Ready.gov - A U.S. government site affiliated with FEMA, focused on civilian preparedness and filled with great information
CDC.gov - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the go-to source of information on the coronavirus, as well as influenza and other outbreaks
IPCC.ch - Because we also take the long view on readiness, we believe that it is also worth paying attention to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and similar sites

Stay Informed

In addition to those “go to” sources, make sure to sign up for services that send you important information. One such service is WestonAlerts, the official emergency notification system used by the Town of Weston and Weston Public Schools enabling Town Officials to quickly communicate with residents during emergencies.

By entering notification preferences in WestonAlerts, residents can get Weston-specific emergency news through their phone or email of choice. The Town can only preload it with landlines, so most people will want to sign in to add cell phone and email information to their account as well.

For non-emergency information, also be sure to sign up for relevant topics, like Public Safety News or Latest Town News, at westonma.gov/stayinformed. The more you know, the better!

In support of the ongoing dissemination of useful knowledge, the Weston Emergency Reserve Corps has also just launched a WERC Facebook page! Our goal is to post regularly about preparedness topics, WERC activities and events, and other information relevant to all in the Weston area.

Watch for more information coming next week, and join us on Facebook in the meantime.