Led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, National Preparedness Month is held each September and is designed to raise awareness and promote action surrounding emergency preparedness among citizens, businesses and communities.

Gary Jones, Acting Regional Administrator for FEMA Region VI said: "It's extremely important for everyone to ensure their safety and that of their family by making plans and putting an emergency kit together now, rather than waiting until something happens."

To see a list of more than 1,200 national, regional, tribal, state and local businesses and organizations which have pledged their support and joined the 2009 National Preparedness Month (NPM) Coalition please visit www.ready.gov/america/npm09/members.html.

For more information on the Ready Campaign and NPM, please visit www.ready.gov.  Information is also available by phone at 1-800-BE-READY or 1-888-SE-LISTO.  For information on Citizen Corps, to download the study, and to find the over 2,300 local communities who have created Citizen Corps Councils to strengthen collaboration between government and civic leaders and to educate, train, and involve the public, please visit www.citizencorps.gov.           

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.