National Preparedness Month, Week 4: Teach Youth about Preparedness

The theme for the fourth week of National Preparedness Month is “Teach Youth about Preparedness,” which encourages parents to talk to their kids about preparing for emergencies and what to do in case they are separated. This week’s theme serves as a reminder that organizational preparedness also depends on the preparedness of their employees for disasters, which can be impacted if their children and families are affected. In links included on the Ready Kids webpage, FEMA provides access to information and tools designed to get children engaged on the topic.

For week four last year, EPA shared its Thirstin’s Wacky Water Adventure activity book can be used to teach kids about their drinking water. It also recommended using the Water Operators: Delivering Safe Water Every Day activity book to inform children about the important services water utility operators provide. This interactive book can be used by water utility education staff and school teachers alike to enrich field trips, water plant tours, career days, community events and more.

In its message for the fourth week of National Preparedness Month, EPA encourages water and wastewater utilities taking action now to by accessing emergency response resources, ensuring they are available when they are most needed. It reminds them of its Response On-The-Go Mobile App, which consolidates and makes accessible from the field, information and tools that water utility operators and their response partners may need during an emergency. For this week EPA also highlights its Water Quality Surveillance and Response System (SRS) framework, which enables utilities to quickly detect and respond to water quality issues.