ST. GEORGE – To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the creation of “Be Ready Utah,” Gov. Gary Herbert has proclaimed April 4-8 as Be Ready Utah Week. Be Ready Utah is a state-run campaign that promotes emergency and disaster preparedness.
“The reason is simple: Preparedness saves lives, time, effort and money when disaster strikes,” officials said in a statement from the governor’s office Friday.
The Be Ready Utah campaign was created in 2006 by the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Division of Homeland Security. The campaign was officially launched at the annual conference of the Utah League of Cities and Towns in St. George in April 2006. The website references the devastating 2005 floods in Southern Utah as one of the contributing factors behind the campaign’s creation.
“Be Ready Utah provides valuable information for individuals and families, communities, public safety professionals, business and civic leaders, school administrators and volunteers,” the website states. “We believe that preparedness leads to prosperity. Every community has the opportunity to provide resources to prepare its citizens and Be Ready Utah can help prepare Utah.”
Earthquakes, floods, fires, severe storms and power outages are among the potential troubles the Be Ready Utah campaign provides tips and information on.
It also promotes general preparedness like having food and water storage, as well as creating emergency kits and putting together a basic plan for the family to follow when a disaster strikes the area.
The governor’s proclamation:
Whereas, the Be Ready Utah public outreach campaign was created on April 6, 2006, following the devastating floods in Southern Utah and the even greater disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina, and
Whereas, the Be Ready Utah Program has operated for the past ten years under the Utah Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, educating and encouraging Utah residents to “Make a Plan, Get a Kit, Be Informed and Get Involved,” leading people to take action and create family disaster plans and build disaster supply kits, and
Whereas, the Be Ready Utah staff continues to reach thousands of people across the state every year through hundreds of emergency preparedness presentations and fairs, BeReadyUtah.gov website, social media, the Great Utah ShakeOut drill, and through the distribution of tens of thousands of informative emergency preparedness booklets, brochures and other education tools, and
Whereas, the risk of natural and technological hazards remains high in Utah, especially involving floods, wildfires, storms and earthquakes, and the need for emergency preparedness is still great, and
Whereas, investments in disaster preparedness and mitigation save money, time and efforts in emergency response,
Now, Therefore, I, Gary R. Herbert, Governor of the State of Utah, do hereby declare April 4 – 8, 2016, as Be Ready Utah Week.
Herbert’s proclamation of Be Ready Utah Week comes ahead of “The Great Utah ShakeOut,” a statewide earthquake drill set to occur April 21. So far, over 740,000 participants – from individuals and families to schools and businesses – have registered to take part in the event.
A breakdown of the participants can be found on The Great Utah ShakeOut website.
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