As September is National Preparedness Month, lets start with what the Federal Government offers in the way of education. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offers online courses and websites to help you better understand the management of disasters through the federal government. They also teach how you, as an individual, can help better prepare yourself for a disaster.
This website is geared towards kids with it’s Be a Hero theme teaching through educational pages, games and activities while incorporating information for parents and educators as well.
The FEMA website offers information for citizens and community partners to learn more about disaster preparedness from the government standpoint. Their TOOLKIT is a new program designed to help the individual prepare for disasters at home.
Something else you may not have known about FEMA is that they actually offer online courses to take. This is an Independent Study Program that actually counts towards college credit, and it’s free!
Along with FEMA, you can learn more with Homeland Security’s program: Ready.gov
And remember, these are governmental agencies and their protocols for what they feel citizens should be ready for in a disaster. You may feel the need to incorporate or ignore their advice at your discretion, knowing that you are preparing for your family the best you can because YOU are your own first responder.