One More Thing on Preparedness

So yes, September is over. And as the leaves change and the pumpkin patches are stocked up, you'd probably expect us to stop talking about National Preparedness Month. I mean, after all, October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, right?

Well, preparedness is a subject that we at the department care a lot about. The Secretary has outlined it as one of the department's five responsibilities, and we've even got an entire month on the calendar devoted to it.

So, as we ask you to stand up and ask "What's Our Plan?", the Secretary thought it important to lead by example. The Secretary and her senior staff participated in a Red Cross preparedness training a while back, and we've got some video from that day to share with you. As Americans, we must count on each other to be ready for whatever comes our way. It's our shared responsibility, and the American way of life depends on each of us doing our part to be ready for a hurricane, a tornado, an earthquake, or something man made. Take a look at the video below, and you can visit the American Red Cross for more information on setting up a training for your school, church, or place of business.

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Prepare yourself...for this video

We promised yesterday that we'd post video of the Secretary's preparedness and resiliency speech. Check it out below.

The full transcript is also available.

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What's Our Plan?

We’ve harped on it for 29 days - September is National Preparedness Month. We’ve directed you to ready.gov, provided tips on how to be prepared and stay informed, and asked you more than once to cough into your sleeve.

No one likes to spend that much time thinking about what could happen – be it a natural disaster or otherwise – but the steps you take to prepare for the unthinkable can make the difference for your place of business, your school, and especially your home. And, it’s the American way: being ready and resilient has helped our nation surmount its biggest challenges for two centuries.

So as National Preparedness Month comes to a close, the Secretary has one more request of you: ask a question. Stand up at school, or at work, or at home, and ask, “What’s our plan?”

The Secretary will deliver a speech at The American Red Cross National Headquarters this afternoon at 2:15 PM EDT on preparedness, and wants to make one final pitch to the American public during the month of September. Bring it up the next time you attend a meeting at your child’s high school, or at church, or around the dinner table. This is a shared responsibility, and we all have a role to play in building a culture where these questions, and this dialogue, are commonplace.

Watch the speech LIVE at http://www.dhs.gov/ starting at 2:15 PM EDT.

Then visit ready.gov to learn more.

Secretary Attends CPR Certification Training

The Secretary, along with 25 senior officials at the Department, were instructed by Red Cross officials today on CPR and basic first aid.

Watch the video below for the Secretary's remarks from today's training.


Then check our ready.gov for more information on how you can be prepared at home and at work.

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