Concord, NH – The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is recognizing September as National and New Hampshire Preparedness Month. Emergencies can happen anywhere and can come in many forms, such as hurricanes, snow storms, flooding, fires, and heat waves. You don’t always know when a disaster will strike, but preparing can help your family recover if one does. This year’s theme is “Pledge to Prepare: Awareness to Action.”

“I cannot stress enough the importance of preparing for an emergency,” Dr. José Montero, Director of Public Health at DHHS. “Every year in New Hampshire we see unusual weather and other emergencies. Plus personal tragedies unfortunately happen as well, such as fires. Preparing in advance is extremely important in order to reduce the impact that these emergencies have on you and your family.”

This September, DHHS is recognizing National Preparedness Month by urging New Hampshire residents to prepare for emergencies of all types that may cause you to:

• Have to stay in your home for three days without access to electricity, water, stores, and other local services
• Have to leave your home quickly
• Have to connect with your friends and family when communications systems are down or overloaded

“There are simple things we call can do to start to prepare,” said Rick Cricenti, Director of the Emergency Services Unit at DHHS, “and many of them do not cost very much. Some examples are to create a family emergency plan, storing water in case the power goes out, and keeping a blanket and a flashlight in your car. There are many things we can do to prepare, but the most important thing is to start.”

For more information on how to prepare for an emergency, visit ReadyNH, New Hampshire’s emergency preparedness website at www.nh.gov/readynh and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s preparedness website www.ready.gov.