Severe weather affects everyone and FEMA and NOAA are asking for your help to increase awareness and to motivate individuals, families, businesses, and communities to know their risk, take action, and be an example through the Be a Force of Nature pledge campaign.
Each year, individuals are killed or seriously injured by tornadoes and other types of severe weather, despite advance warning. In 2012, there were more than 450 weather-related fatalities and nearly 2,600 injuries. Severe weather knows no boundaries and affects the whole community and because of this we are committed to supporting the safety of our communities and we’re calling on you to Pledge to Prepare and to help us Be a Force of Nature.
What can you and people in California do to prepare and help us spread the word?
• Know Your Risk: The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family. Every state in the United States has experienced tornadoes and severe weather, so everyone is exposed to some degree of risk. Check the weather forecast regularly and visit ready.gov/severe-weather to learn more about how to be better prepared and how you can protect your family during emergencies.
• Pledge and Take Action: Be Force of Nature by taking the Pledge to Prepare at ready.gov/severe-weather. When you pledge to prepare, you will take the first step to making sure that you and your family are prepared for severe weather. This includes developing your family communications plan that you can email to yourself, building an emergency kit, and storing important papers and valuables in a safe place,
• Stay informed about severe weather by having multiple sources for weather alerts. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio and check to see if your cell phone is equipped to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts. Sign up for weather alerts from local emergency management officials and visit www.weather.gov/subscribe for other sources.
• Be an Example: Once you have taken action and pledged to Be a Force of Nature, share your story with your family and friends. Create a video and post on a video sharing site, post your story on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, comment on a preparedness blog, or share through any other social media site. Technology, today, makes it easier than ever to be a good example and share the steps you took to help build a Weather-Ready Nation.
Join today and pledge to be prepared for the severe weather in your area. We also ask you to visit ready.gov/severe-weather or noaa.gov/wrn to pledge and learn more information on tornadoes and severe thunderstorms to be better prepared.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.