Illinois residents during the past two years have endured blizzard conditions, tornadoes, flooding, windstorms and excessive heat

While severe weather and other disasters can’t be prevented, having an emergency preparedness plan can help people stay safe and recover sooner after an event.

As part of National Preparedness Month in September, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and local emergency management agencies throughout Illinois are joining local, state and federal agencies across the United States in a nationwide push to encourage personal preparedness. The theme for this year’s national preparedness campaign is ‘Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.’

“Having an emergency plan and discussing that plan with others in your home is key to staying safe in an emergency,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “If a disaster occurs when your family is apart, does everyone know how to contact each other and where to meet? There’s no time like right now to have that discussion and make sure you’re prepared for the unexpected.”

IEMA offers disaster preparedness information on the Ready Illinois website (www.Ready.Illinois.gov), a one-stop resource for detailed information about what to do before, during and after disasters.

In addition, throughout September IEMA will post daily preparedness tips on the Ready Illinois Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ReadyIllinois) and Twitter (@ReadyIllinois).

During disasters, IEMA uses the Ready Illinois website, Facebook and Twitter pages to provide critical information about the incident, including shelter locations, road closures, safety information, photos and more.

—  Illinois EMA focuses on preparedness in September —