Salem, Ore., – Governor Tina Kotek has officially proclaimed September Preparedness Month in Oregon.

“I want to call out the extraordinary work of local and state leaders who made sure our state was prepared for this year's unprecedented wildfire season," Governor Tina Kotek said. "As firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the fires burning across the state, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management effectively mobilized shelters, evacuation support, and identified the resources each community needed."

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) will observe preparedness month by launching a new community-based initiative designed to help individuals and their communities prepare for emergencies and practice their skills as a group. The Be 2 Weeks Ready Toolkit is a step-by-step guide to individual and community resiliency.

The digital version of the kit is available at Oregon.gov/OEM and is offered in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese, with American Sign Language videos coming soon.

“As director of OEM, it’s a top priority for me to help people living in Oregon be ready for disasters,” Erin McMahon, said. “The Be 2 Weeks Ready program helps foster a culture of preparedness within established community groups such as faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, local 4-H clubs, schools, and workplaces.”

Preparing for emergencies can feel overwhelming. It’s important to remember that being two weeks ready doesn’t have to be expensive or happen all at once. There are a lot of effective and low-cost to no-cost actions your community can take today to be ready for tomorrow. You can find more details about these on FEMA’s preparedness site Ready.gov, but here are a few:

Also, look to your local leaders for additional tips on how your community is preparing. Connect with your local emergency management office, sheriff's office, or Tribal police and follow them on social media to stay up to date during quickly changing emergencies.

When a disaster strikes, you are the help until help arrives. By working together, communities can enhance their collective resilience and ensure everyone is equipped to handle emergencies.

In addition to the Be 2 Weeks Ready Toolkit, people interested in helping their communities and deepening their basic disaster response skills can join a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and learn from peers.

There are four types of CERT programs: Community, Workplace, Campus, Teen. Each program is supported by a sponsoring organization. A sponsoring organization can be any government agency, such as a fire department, emergency management agency or city council.

In the end, OEM wants to help people feel empowered, not frightened, when thinking about how they will respond in an emergency. The Be 2 Weeks Ready Toolkit and CERT programs can help individuals build meaningful connections with one another that will lead to better outcomes for everyone when disaster strikes.

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More than 50 active CERT programs exist in Oregon. People can find contact information for teams in their area on the Oregon Department of Emergency Management website.
For information on how to facilitate preparedness training in your community email community.preparedness@oem.oregon.gov.
Photo caption: OEM Community Outreach Coordinator Kayla Thompson presents at the 2024 Disaster Preparedness Fair in Rainbow, Oregon.