National Preparedness Month 2008 Awardees
National Preparedness Month
In 2008, FEMA Region III focused National Preparedness Month (NPM) efforts on encouraging citizens to “Get Involved” and take important preparedness steps – including volunteering – to get prepared. A letter from the Regional Administrator asked State Emergency Management Directors to take a leadership role by spreading the word and actively supporting NPM in their organizations and communities.
Citizen Corps Programs in Region III were further encouraged to plan, execute, and support Community Preparedness and Participation events at the state and local levels through creation of the inaugural FEMA Region III National Preparedness Month Challenge. The “NPM Challenge” tracked NPM initiatives and events held in Region III states for the first time on a “Community Preparedness” section created for the external Region III website. The following jurisdictions received award certificates and letters from the Regional Administrator for their outstanding service this year:
The ”2008 FEMA Region III Leading by Example Award” was granted to Pennsylvania Citizen Corps for its dedicated service and tireless commitment to emergency preparedness and for supporting the largest number of Citizen Corps events and activities of any state in FEMA Region III for National Preparedness Month. County and local Citizen Corps Councils planned and executed 55 Citizen Corps emergency preparedness events throughout the Commonwealth. In addition, the Regional Administrator joined Pennsylvania Emergency Management for the launching of the ReadyPA campaign, which will provide additional messaging and materials for Citizen Corps Councils and volunteers to conduct outreach and educate residents of their communities.
The District of Columbia Citizen Corps program received the ”2008 FEMA Region III United We Stand Award.” The District’s program was recognized for its dedicated service and commitment to educating DC residents about emergency preparedness and for supporting the largest number of overall events and activities of any state jurisdiction in FEMA Region III for NPM. Working collaboratively with the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), DC Citizen Corps - of Serve DC, within the Mayor’s office - supported a total of 77 events during NPM.
Delaware Citizen Corps received two inaugural ”NPM Challenge” awards. The state program was extended a ”2008 FEMA Region III Together We Succeed Award” and recognized for extraordinary leadership in collaborating with multiple preparedness partners to host the ”4th Annual Delaware Family Emergency Preparedness Day,” as part of NPM. Planning for this event included nearly 50 scheduled trainings, displays and activities, and more than 35 government and private sector partners. The Delaware Citizen Corps Program also received the “2008 FEMA Region III Bridge Builder Award” for exemplary collaboration with the Delaware State Police to educate middle school and high school students about how to prepare for a disaster, launched by press conference in September.
The “2008 FEMA Region III Pursuit of Excellence Award” was granted to West Virginia Citizen Corps for demonstrating the most progress in FEMA Region III in NPM outreach since 2007. In addition to supporting more than 36 events and initiatives, West Virginia’s newly revitalized State Citizen Corps Program took the lead in developing a very creative, diverse and comprehensive outreach campaign for NPM that extended to the media, preparedness partners, families and individual residents of West Virginia during September.
Two local programs were also recognized and extended award certificates. Virginia Beach Citizen Corps was awarded a “2008 FEMA Region III Together We Succeed Award” for extraordinary leadership in their collaboration with multiple preparedness partners to host their “Disaster Preparedness Day 2008.” Planning for this event included 40 scheduled trainings, demonstrations, displays and activities, and nearly as many government and private sector partners. Alexandria Citizen Corps Council received a ”2008 FEMA Region III Making A Difference Award” for demonstrating superior commitment to educating Alexandria residents about how to be prepared during 2008. Alexandria executed 4 significant emergency preparedness events, which reached an estimated 600 people from diverse backgrounds.
Last Modified: Friday, 24-Jul-2009 09:59:41 EDT