Aug. 30, 2017 – With the nation’s eyes on the Texas Gulf Coast and the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, the City of Redlands recognizes September as National Preparedness Month, encouraging residents to prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies and to register for the City’s Emergency Notification System.

The National Preparedness Month PrepareAthon Campaign encourages all citizens to take action, recognizing that “you are the help until help arrives.” For more information on action steps you can take to be prepared, visit www.ready.gov/prepare.

Redlands residents can take action by registering for the City of Redlands Emergency Notification System. The system was implemented in order to communicate emergency and other urgent messages to residents and other community members, using both text and voice messages in the event of an emergency affecting Redlands.

Commonly referred to as “Reverse 911,” the system will automatically call listed and unlisted telephone numbers within the area affected by the emergency and deliver a recorded message. If the phone line is busy, the system will attempt to redial those telephone numbers to make contact. If an answering machine is reached, the emergency message will be left on the machine.

Cell phone or Voice over IP (VoIP) phone numbers are not automatically included in the system database. If you wish to be contacted on your cell or VoIP phone, you must register these phone numbers online at http://www.cityofredlands.org/register.

Redlands residents can also take action by participating in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.

Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community

The Redlands CERT 20-hour training program is offered several times each year. The next training is scheduled Sept. 15-17. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will be invited to join the City of Redlands CERT team. Anyone interested may register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/city-of-redlands-cert-training-september-2017-tickets-30929975389 or contact Emergency Operations Manager Fay Glass at fglass@cityofredlands.org or (909) 335 4705.

Additional emergency preparedness resources are available at the City of Redlands Emergency Management web page http://cityofredlands.org/emergency; from the Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/7877; and at Ready America, a website provided by the Department of Homeland Security, at www.ready.gov.