September is National Preparedness Month

JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI) – This September during National Preparedness Month, Teton County Emergency Management wants to remind individuals, households, and organizations of some simple actions they can take to be more prepared for emergencies and disasters.

Emergencies come in many forms. Wildfires, earthquakes, severe winter storms, power outages, and more can happen right here in Teton County. While no one can anticipate the unexpected, everyone can take one or more of the actions below to make themselves and their loved ones safer when disaster strikes.

• Know how you’ll receive emergency alerts and warnings.
  • Sign up for free Nixle text alerts from local authorities by texting “TETON_WY” to 888777.Reply to the confirmation text with “ESP” if you would like to receive alerts in Spanish.
  • Consider purchasing an inexpensive NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio for your home and anywhere else you spend a significant amount of time.
  • Learn about the other elements of our local public warning system by visiting tetoncountywy.gov/497/Local-EAS-Components.
• Fill out an emergency plan for yourself or your household. Your plan should include emergency contact information, household evacuation procedures, and more. Be sure to include your pets in your emergency plan! Find plan templates and ideas at ready.gov/plan and redcross.org.
• Assemble disaster supply kits for your home and vehicle. Remember to include copies of important documents and records. View a sample checklist at hls.wyo.gov/being-prepared/twoweeks-ready.
• Practice your plan and relevant skills with your family/household. You could perform yearly fire drills, identify safe places to take cover in an earthquake, learn basic first aid, or practice evacuating your home and meeting up at a predetermined location outside of your neighborhood.
• Familiarize yourself with the website tcincident.org. This is your one-stop-shop for information on current local incidents in the county, including evacuation status, emergency shelter sites, and more.

In addition to individual and household-level preparedness efforts, planning and coordination is required across the whole community to make Teton County more disaster-resilient. Teton County Emergency Management worked with more than 40 organizations in our community to improve the Teton County/Town of Jackson Emergency Operations Plan. The updated plan was signed and adopted by both the Town and the County in August of 2022. The full plan is publicly available at tetoncountywy.gov/326/Emergency-Plans.

“I am thrilled that the County Commission and Town Council have adopted our new community Emergency Operations Plan, but now the real work begins,” says Rich Ochs, Coordinator for Teton County Emergency Management. “The plan outlines roles and responsibilities for the whole community, from individuals all the way up to government entities, during a disaster. Now we need to train, exercise, and continually assess the new plan to ensure our community’s disaster resilience.”

National Preparedness Month is recognized every year in September and is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “Ready” Campaign. The 2022 theme is “A Lasting Legacy: The life you’ve built is worth protecting.” Learn more about National Preparedness Month at ready.gov/september.

Remember, a proactive approach to preparedness is always best and it doesn’t have to be complicated! Just a few simple measures undertaken today can help avoid hardships and tragedies tomorrow.