As most of you know, September 2011 was officially proclaimed “National Preparedness Month,” a time to reflect and raise awareness of the necessity for all of us – individuals, businesses, and organizations alike – to be prepared before an emergency or disaster strikes.  This year, in the United States alone, we’ve already seen numerous heavily devastating natural disasters, including a major hurricane barreling up the East Coast, intense flooding tropical storms, severe drought and wildfires in Texas, multiple series of deadly tornadoes throughout the Midwest, and even a rare earthquake near our nation’s capital.

As National Preparedness Month officially got underway on September 1^st, I found myself rather unlucky enough to be spending some vacation time deep in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans – a vibrant and amazing city that still finds itself haunted by the specter of Hurricane Katrina six years ago – just as Tropical Storm Lee began to batter the area with gale-force winds and almost 20 inches of rain.  As I waded miserably through a flooded portion of near-vacant Bourbon Street, I thought, “I wasn’t ready for this!”

I’d been fortunate in NYC to dodge the worst of Hurricane Irene just a few days before, only to dive head-first into another drenching disaster.  “Clearly,” I realized later in the comfort of my hotel room, as I intently watched weather reports from around the nation, “the need for emergency preparation seems to have never been greater.”

Here in NYC, the city’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) celebrated National Preparedness Month by encouraging NYC organizations to become “Partners in Preparedness”.  This program gives area businesses an excellent opportunity to highlight their commitment to the safety and well-being of employees and families, and through it, OEM strives to make New York the most prepared city in the world.  To become an OEM Partner in Preparedness, New York City organizations and businesses — including we here at the Ad Council — were required to participate in at least five preparedness activities to show their commitment to emergency readiness.

Below are some of the activities that the Ad Council completed in order to be recognized as one of OEM’s premier Partners in Preparedness, as well as other things your business or organization can do to prepare, even if you’re not based in New York City.  (For a complete list of state emergency management agencies that may have similar recognition programs, please visit here.)

• Distribute and test an emergency plan for your organization.  Your plan should cover all bases for the various types of emergencies your building, organization, neighborhood, and city may encounter.  Fires, winter storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, widespread power outages, etc…. will your employees know exactly what to do should one or more of these disasters strike?
• Stay Connected:  Encourage your co-workers and volunteers to register for your state’s or city’s real-time emergency notification system.  In NYC, it’s NotifyNYC, a free notification system that can be configured to be sent through e-mail or RSS-feed, or by text (via Twitter).
• Distribute weekly preparedness messages throughout your organization via your company’s e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  In NYC, the OEM website offers a handy “Tip of the Week” year-round to remind folks of the importance of staying ready!
• Host a preparedness display, including Ready.gov guides, local Citizen Corps Council volunteer guides, and a sample Go Bag (with essential items like flashlights, batteries, radio, emergency blanket, first-aid kit, gloves, etc. in an easy-to-carry bag).
• Schedule and conduct a fire drill.  Also be sure to check your workplace’s fire extinguishers, to ensure they meet local fire department regulations, and have them serviced regularly.
• Mentor a small business or organization on emergency preparedness, or be mentored.  Sometimes another business or organization will come up with a novel preparedness idea that might also work for your organization.
• Schedule a work-from-home day or other method to test your business continuity practices.

These are just a few of the things your business or organization can do to ensure your employees are engaged in the importance of emergency preparation.  While it seems a daunting task at first glance, I was pleasantly surprised how easy the process actually was to complete.  We were extremely honored and excited to have been recognized as a “Partner in Preparedness” by the NYC Office of Emergency Management.

As we wind down toward the end of National Preparedness Month, it’s absolutely vital to remember that preparedness does not simply begin and end in September, but is a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, and evaluating those plans, in an effort to ensure effective coordination during an emergency.

What are some of the things your business or organization has done to be prepared?