Tompkins Ready
September is National Preparedness Month:
FEMA’s Ready Campaign has observed National Preparedness Month since 2004 to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies. The month is a great time to take small steps to make a big difference in being prepared.
Preparedness Starts at Home, the 2025 theme, focuses on getting back to the essentials of preparedness. There are four key actions you can take to prepare for any disaster you may face - Be Informed; Make a Plan; Build a Kit; and Get Involved.
Many emergencies and disasters occur without any warning. Since you can’t predict where you will be for disasters, it is important to have plans and supplies for the places you and your household go to regularly. Planning ahead makes sure that you and your family will know what to do and have the supplies you need to be safe wherever you are.
Find out what plans are available for the locations you go regularly. Customize your personal and household plans based on what household members would do if an emergency occurred while they were at that location.
Fall Safety:
Fall is a wonderful time of year, but it does have its share of hazards. Fall safety focuses on preparing for varying temperatures, driving hazards like wet leaves and fog, potential for wildfires, home safety with heating systems and fireplaces, and protecting against flu and pests. Be ready by maintaining your heating and cooling systems, clearing debris, practicing safe driving, checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and being aware of increased wildlife activity and back-to-school traffic. Check out the National Weather Service Weather Safety page. For additional autumn safety tips, visit the National Safety Council.
What3Words:
What3words is a geocode system for the communication of locations with a resolution of three meters. What3words encodes geographic coordinates into three dictionary words; the encoding is permanently fixed. If help is needed, providing a what3words address on a 9-1-1 call can pinpoint your location quickly. Learn more and download the What3words app here.
Read the 14850.com article on how what3words helped first responders reach an individual with a medical emergency on Connecticut Hill.
Read how "What3words” helped rescue a group of hikers from Watkins Glen State Park.
Community Preparedness:
Register to attend a Citizen Preparedness Corps training near you and learn how to prepare for any type of disaster or emergency, respond accordingly and recover. Learn more at the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services page.
Topics include how to develop a family emergency plan, how to prepare your family and home for a potential emergency such as fire, what to do in specific situations such as active shooter, and covers evacuation or sheltering-in-place due to a life-threatening event, and much more. The training also discusses what to do when returning home after an emergency, including re-entry procedures, checking for and documenting damage safely, addressing emotional and other personal needs in the aftermath of a catastrophic event, and being wary of post-disaster scams.
Additional Preparedness Checklists:
Tune In:
Disaster and emergency information will broadcast from these local radio stations:
- 870AM WHCU
- 97.3FM WYXL
- 91.7FM WICB
If your TV is working, monitor a regional all-news channel, such as Spectrum News, or the Weather Channel. A weather radio will also provide accurate and current information.
National Weather Service in Binghamton
What types of emergencies can happen in Tompkins county?
There are certain basic concepts of preparedness that apply to any type of situation:
- Be Informed
- Make a Plan
- Build a Kit
- Get Involved
Learn more at www.ready.gov.
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