September is National Preparedness Month, and each week there is a different theme. The first week is Make and Practice Your Plan.

It is important to ensure that you are prepared in case there is an emergency. Last week, Hurricane Florence made landfall on the east coast. This serves as a reminder to stay informed and prepared.

An emergency event can occur at any time. It includes, but is not limited to, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and wildfires. These events can occur at any time— sometimes unexpectedly.

Every home should have an emergency preparedness kit with inexpensive and essential items that you should have prepared and ready to go in a moment’s notice.

According to Ready.gov, these items can include water, non-perishable food, a can opener, flashlights, batteries, extra phone chargers, medicine, pet supplies and diapers.

It is also important to establish a safe meet-up destination for family members to go to when an emergency occurs so they know you are okay. Plans should be created and practiced to ensure that everyone knows what to do in an emergency situation.

The theme of the second week is learn life-saving skills, which include Take Ten, Stop the Bleed or attend a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) class.  This would allow people to learn skills that may be essential to saving others that find themselves in dire situations.

The theme of the third week is to check your coverage. It is important to review what your insurance policies cover. Ready.gov will explain the importance of flood insurance and it will also let you know how to document your property.

The theme of the fourth week is save for an emergency; it is important to have some money easily accessible.

For more information visit ready.gov.