Overview: 
The FEMA Private Sector Division launched the “Weekly Private Sector Preparedness Tips” online in August 2009. This collection of tips provides a summary of how to prepare academia, private companies, nonprofits and faith-based organizations for all types of hazards. They are also available online at www.fema.gov/privatesector and are posted weekly on www.facebook.com/fema and www.twitter.com/@fema.  


Private Sector Preparedness Tips of the Week
Tip of the Week 01/03/11: Review online winter storm resources and share them with your organization. http://www.fema.gov/hazard/winter/index.shtm.
Tip of the Week 12/27/10: Minority and veteran-owned businesses can access information about the FEMA Industry Liaison program. http://www.fema.gov/privatesector/industry/index.shtm
Tip of the Week 12/20/10: Hang holiday lights and decorations using safety tips from US Fire Administration. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/holiday-seasonal/holiday.shtm
Tip of the Week 12/13/10: Businesses can share their preparedness success using Ready Business Preparedness Mentoring tools. http://www.ready.gov/business/mentor/index.htm 
Tip of the Week 12/06/10: Access disability emergency preparedness materials and share them with your organization. www.disability.gov/emergency_preparedness/organizational_preparedness/businesses
Tip of the Week 11/29/10: Teachers can download fire prevention lesson plans, games and tips to share with their students. www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/index.shtm.
Tip of the Week 11/22/10: During the holiday season, share and use tips to protect your organization from disasters. www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/howto/index.shtm
Tip of the Week 11/15/10: Update your emergency plan with your staff to prepare for the flu season.   www.pandemicflu.gov/professional/business/index.html
Tip of the Week 11/08/10: Women, veteran and minority-owned businesses can review information about the FEMA Industry Liaison program. www.fema.gov/privatesector/industry/index.shtm
Tip of the Week 11/01/10: Review and share FEMA earthquake mitigation information for your business. www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/info_business.shtm
Tip of the Week 10/25/10: Employers are encouraged to check, maintain and replace old smoke alarms. http://tinyurl.com/2f8l3bd 
original link: www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/focus/.
Tip of the Week 10/18/10: Educators and school staff are encouraged to enroll in school preparedness, response and recovery online training. rems.ed.gov/index.php?page=online_courses.
Tip of the Week October 11, 2010: Review and download information about residential sprinklers and fire safety for college student housing: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/sprinklers.shtm.
Tip of the Week October 4, 2010: Review the Assistive Technology for Emergencies list with your staff and add them to your disaster preparedness plan. www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/ppp/assistech.htm 
Tip of the Week 09/27/10: Prepare your staff for cyber security risks with computer safety information from US CERT.
www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-003.html
Tip of the Week 09/20/10: Enroll in USFA online training to learn about responding to crisis events at strip malls, dorms and nursing homes. http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/nfa/nfaonline/browse/.
Tip of the Week 09/13/10: Include healthy snacks, water and extra clothing in your child's school emergency kit. For more information regarding emergency supplies, visit: www.ready.gov/business/plan/emersupply.html.
Tip of the Week 09/07/10: Add your organization's preparedness event and register as a National Preparedness Month Coalition Member. www.ready.gov/america/npm10/webinar.html.
Tip of the Week 08/30/10: Review and share models of public private partnership stories on the FEMA Public Private Partnerships web page. www.fema.gov/privatesector/ppp.shtm
Tip of the Week 08/23/10: Employees can use their smart phones to apply for federal disaster aid and learn about severe weather preparedness at m.fema.gov/.
Tip of the Week 08/16/10: Use your university or school emergency communications systems to alert students and staff about hurricanes. www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html
Tip of the Week 08/09/10: Add a can opener, flashlight batteries and food to your emergency kit to prepare for severe weather at school or work. go.usa.gov/cgc.
Tip of the Week 08/02/10: Support emergency preparedness efforts as a National Preparedness Month Coalition member. Visit http://www.ready.gov/america/npm10/index.htm for more details.
Tip of the Week 07/26/10: Listen to the latest hurricane and tropical storm news, watches and warnings on the NOAA Weather Radio. www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/
Tip of the Week 07/19/10: Are employees with disabilities at your planning table as you consider inclusive preparedness efforts to plan for workers, customers, guests, workers families and others who may need assistance in an emergency? Visit the FEMA Preparedness Resources page for more information: www.fema.gov/about/odic/preparedness.shtm#1
Tip of the Week 07/12/10: Learn about FEMA Mitigation programs like Quakesmart, HAZUS and grants relevant to earthquakes. www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/what.shtm.
Tip of the Week 07/06/10: Volunteer for training with disaster response organizations to support communities impacted by disasters. www.fema.gov/donations.
Tip of the Week 06/28/10: Update your business's emergency plan to prepare for extended power loss due to disasters. www.ready.gov/business/protect/utilities.html.
Tip of the Week 06/21/10: Create and practice your organization’s shelter in place plan with employees to prepare for tornadoes. www.ready.gov/business/plan/shelterplan.html.
Tip of the Week 06/14/10: Learn about DHS Student Opportunities such as fellowships, internships and scholarships. www.dhs.gov/xabout/careers/content_multi_image_0011.shtm
Tip of the Week 06/07/10: Develop interactive lesson plans for young students regarding hurricane preparedness using the Ready Classroom tools. readyclassroom.discoveryeducation.com/#/condition/4.
Tip of the Week 05/31/10: Add social media tools to your emergency communications plan to use a variety of outlets to communicate with your employees. www.ready.gov/business/plan/emerplanning.html
Tip of the Week 05/24/10: During the 2010 Hurricane Awareness Week, learn how to prepare your business, non-profits and schools for hurricanes: www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_season10.shtm
Tip of the Week 05/17/10: Prepare your employees for fires by placing a fire extinguisher in your office; identify the exit routes out of buildings and ensure that all fire protection equipment is in proper working order. Visit the US Fire Administration "Wild Fire, Are you Prepared?" web site for more details: www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/wildfire/
Tip of the Week 5/10/10: Businesses and non-profits may obtain local hazards information and basic disaster response training for their employees from their local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Select the State Directory to find your nearest local CERT program: www.citizencorps.gov/cert.
Tip of the Week 05/03/10: Are you looking for the best way to donate your time and resources to support disasters? Visit the FEMA Donations page for more information. www.fema.gov/donations.
Tip of the Week 4/26/10: Prepare your students and educators for all hazards with school safety tips from the Department of Education.
www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html.
Tip of the Week 4/19/10: Help protect your employees and your office building from earthquakes and other disasters with FEMA Mitigation Publications. Click here for more details: www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/howto/index.shtm.
Tip of the Week 4/12/10: Secure your organization’s computer and mobile devices by using encrypted storage devices and secure wireless networks. For more computer safety tips, visit: www.us-cert.gov/index.html.
Tip of the Week 4/5/10: Encourage your staff to prepare for floods with a work emergency kit and a flood evacuation plan. www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/floods.html 
Tip of the Week 3/29/10: Did your organization provide charitable donations for the Haiti or Chile earthquake relief? View and use disaster relief tax tips from the IRS: www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=149938,00.html.
Tip of the Week 3/22/10: Review, share and plan to use agriculture disaster tax tips from the Internal Revenue Service. http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/industries/article/0,,id=99074,00.html
Tip of the Week 3/15/10: Prepare your organization for flash floods with a flood evacuation plan, off-site data servers and remote work plans. www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/index.shtm
Tip of the Week 3/08/10: View and share the latest earthquake data; download publications and learn how to reduce your organization’s earthquake risks. www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/index.shtm
Tip of the Week 3/01/10: Business travelers can view State Department foreign travel alerts, tips and emergency information. Visit the following URL for more details: www.state.gov/travel/.
Tip of the Week 2/22/10: Check your organization’s defibrillator and fire extinguishers to ensure they are working and replace old equipment. For more fire safety information, visit www.usfa.dhs.gov.
Tip of the Week 2/15/10 : Review and use tax preparation guidelines for businesses impacted by disasters. Visit the IRS website for more details: www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=156138,00.html.
Tip of the Week 2/8/10: Prepare your office for the winter season by storing rock salt, a snow shovel, emergency food and a weather radio. View more winter weather tips at: www.fema.gov/hazard/winter/wi_before.shtm.
Tip of the Week 2/1/10: Develop and practice for emergencies at work with employees by reviewing your office emergency plan. www.ready.gov/business/plan/emerplanning.html.
Tip of the Week 1/25/10: Create an emergency plan for your organization’s financial and critical records. Click here to develop an emergency financial aid kit: www.operationhope.org/smdev/lf1.php?id=187.
Tip of the Week 1/18/2010: Prepare your employees before, during and after an earthquake with FEMA Earthquake tips. For more information, visit www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/index.shtm.
Tip of the Week 1/11/2010: Participate in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training to support community and business preparedness efforts. For more information, visit: https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/.
Tip of the Week 1/4/2010: Place a weather radio or television in an accessible place for employees to readily monitor severe weather conditions. View active weather alerts at www.NOAA.gov.
Tip of The Week 12/28/09: Businesses damaged or destroyed by disasters can prepare their tax documents using the IRS Disaster Losses Tool kit. Download the toolkit today: www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2194b.pdf 
Tip of the Week 12/21/2009: Support employee volunteer efforts and encourage them to give back to their communities. Visit www.serve.gov to volunteer today.
Tip of the Week 12/14/09: Give the Gift of Preparedness: a weather radio, CPR lessons or emergency kits for your family, pets and car. For more preparedness gift giving ides, visit: www.ready.gov/business/plan/emersupply.html
Tip of the Week 12/7/09: Ensure that your business insurance covers all hazards including floods, wind, fire and other emergencies. www.fema.gov/rebuild/insurance.shtm
Tip of the Week 11/30/2009: Protect your business by using noncombustible or flame retardant materials to decorate your office for the holidays. www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/holiday.shtm
Tip of the Week 11/23/2009: Review and update your primary and backup payroll, IT network, staff contact lists and vendor systems to prepare for potential disruptions over the holidays. www.ready.gov/business
Tip of the Week 11/16/09: Just a few inches of water can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage to your home or business. Visit www.floodsmart.gov to see how you can protect your investment.
Tip of the Week 11/9/09: Veteran-owned companies and other small businesses can learn how to register to work with FEMA to support local disaster responses at: www.fema.gov/business/contractor.shtm.
Tip of the Week 11/2/09: Install dual sensor smoke alarms and residential fire sprinklers to protect your home business. Click here for more information: www.ready.gov/business/plan/planfiresafety.html. 
Tip of the Week 10/26/2009: Educate and train your employees to avoid social engineering, phishing or email scams to ensure data integrity on your network. Learn more about DHS Cyber Security programs by clicking this link: www.dhs.gov/files/programs/cybersecurity.shtm.
Tip of the Week 10/19/09: Protect your computer systems by using encrypted web sites with secure socket layers (SSL), https addresses and closed padlock icons. For more cyber security resources, visit: www.us-cert.gov
Tip of the Week 10/13/09: National Disability Employment Awareness Month: Update your evacuation plans to include people with disabilities and special needs. For more preparedness resources, visit: www.disabilitypreparedness.gov/ppp/workprep.htm
Tip of the Week 10/05/09: Check your office for fire hazards, test fire alarms and extinguishers, and practice an escape route in support of Fire Prevention Week. For more details visit: www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/focus/.
Tip of the Week 9/28/09: Assess which staff, materials, procedures and equipment are absolutely necessary to stay in operation after an emergency. (www.ready.gov/business/plan/planning.html )
Tip of the Week 9/21/09: Make hand sanitizer available to employees and customers to reduce the spread of illnesses like H1N1 flu. Visit www.flu.gov for more ideas on how to prepare your organization for the fall flu season.
Tip of the Week 9/15/09: Learn ways to protect people, business property, and building structures and prevent business loss from a natural disaster. Find training and resources at www.fema.gov/privatesector/training.shtm 
Tip of the Week 9/8/09: Understand when to evacuate or shelter in place, and establish a system for communicating instructions to your employees and customers. Make sure to plan how you will communicate with people who are deaf and hard of hearing, or who do not speak English. Visit www.Ready.gov/business for tips on how to develop your plans.
Tip of the Week of 8/31/09: Keep a current copy of your critical business files on an easily portable external storage device, such as a thumb drive or CD-ROM that you can take with you in an evacuation. Also consider using a remote server to minimize interruptions if your facilities are impacted by flood, fire, power outage or other hazard.



NOTES: 


For more information regarding FEMA Private Sector Division, visit us on the web at www.fema.gov/privatesector or http://www.dhs.gov/xbsnss/. Also, you may submit questions or comments to FEMA-Private-Sector@dhs.gov.   
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FEMA Private Sector Division
Editor/Writer: Tracey Batacan