Are You Ready? (Text Only)

Are You Ready?
A Guide to Citizen Preparedness

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Federal Emergency Management Agency
Washington, D.C.

Dear Citizens,

We live in a different world than we did before September 11, 2001. We are more aware of our vulnerabilities, more appreciative of our freedoms and more understanding that we have a personal responsibility for the safety of our families, our neighbors and our nation.

Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness provides practical information on how your family can prepare for any disaster. It includes up-to-date hazard specific safety tips and information about preparedness and protection. In addition to information on most natural and technological disasters, there are new chapters on “Animals in Disaster,” “Extreme Heat (Heat Wave),” “Landslide & Debris Flow (Mudslide),” “Emergency Water Shortages,” and newly updated information on terrorism.

We know that disaster preparedness works. We can take action now that will help protect our families, reduce the impact an emergency has on our lives, and deal with the chaos if an incident occurs near us. These actions are at the heart of everything we do at FEMA, and they are the reason President George W. Bush established Citizen Corps, a nationwide initiative encompassing public education, citizen training and volunteer programs. FEMA’s vision of a nation prepared is best achieved by your participation in community and family preparedness so that we are all better protected for every disaster.

Contact your local emergency management office for information about specific hazards in your area and to volunteer to help make your community better prepared.

We know that disaster can strike at any time. We all have a personal responsibility to be ready.

Sincerely,

Joe M. Allbaugh
Director

Acknowledgement

This guide has been prepared for direct dissemination to the general public and is based on the most reliable hazard awareness and emergency education information available at the time of publication, including advances in scientific knowledge, more accurate technical language, and the latest physical research on what happens in disasters.

This publication is, however, too brief to cover every factor, situation, or difference in buildings, infrastructure, or other environmental features that might be of interest. To help you explore your interest further, additional sources of information have been compiled in the “For More Information” chapter, beginning on page 97.

Table of Contents

Are You Ready?
Full document in PDF format

Why Prepare for a Disaster

General Preparedness Information

Natural Hazards

Technological & Man-Made Hazards

For More Information

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Issues In Focus