The smell of summer rain, a fun night out on the town, colored leaves falling from trees, a crazy day at the office, the sight of snow flakes falling. All of these things seem pretty routine, nothing out of the ordinary – right? But what happens when the rain creates flash flooding in your neighborhood, the snow piles up, you must shelter-in-place for safety or you need to evacuate your office? Would you know what to do?

Nationwide, the month of September serves as a reminder for residents and businesses to be prepared for disasters or emergencies because in an emergency, every second counts. In the District of Columbia, National Preparedness Month is sponsored by ReadyDC, the District of Columbia’s personal preparedness campaign. The campaign aims to empower District residents and businesses to become better prepared for the threats and hazards the District faces and, ultimately, become masters of disasters.

You, our residents and visitors, are the District’s first line of defense in an emergency. Are you ready to take on the challenges associated with the various hazards that could impact the District? With ReadyDC, you can be! The ReadyDC website, ready.dc.gov, was launched in 2016 and an update was made to the website at the beginning of this month. The website was re-designed with you in mind! The update provides a fresh, new look and access to critical information at your fingertips.

By visiting ready.dc.gov, residents will have access to preparedness tips for a variety of threats and hazards we could face in the District, resources on how to build an emergency kit, make an emergency plan, and ways to stay informed before, during, and after an emergency.

The re-launch also features a new resources tab which provides instant access to new downloadable flyers and planning guides on individual, home, workplace, faith-based, school and business preparedness. Included in the resources section, are preparedness resources available in the District’s six languages: Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Take the time now to build an emergency kit, review your insurance coverage, download the HSEMA mobile app, and sign up for AlertDC, your real-time connection to alerts from District officials.

Together, we can make a safer, stronger, and more resilient DC. To learn more, visit ready.dc.gov.