Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Office of Emergency Preparedness will observe National Preparedness Month in September with events and expert speakers to remind the university community how to be ready if disaster strikes.
“National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort to encourage Americans to take simple steps to be better prepared for emergencies—whether it’s in their homes, businesses or schools,” said Noelle Broadnax, emergency operations coordinator in the Office of Emergency Preparedness.
National Preparedness Month is promoted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Office of Emergency Preparedness, which provides comprehensive emergency preparedness, homeland security programs and services to the university community, is hosting preparedness month events for a 10th year.
This year, the office will bring to campus guest speakers who will share their personal experience from one the nation’s biggest disasters. FBI agents Andrew and Gina Young were in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, when two planes struck the World Trade Center. The husband and wife were part of response efforts in the hours, days and weeks after the attacks.
Their presentation, which will be held Sept. 11 from 3-5 p.m. in the Chapel, will detail the aftermath not only from the perspective of federal law enforcement officials, but also from a personal side of living through a catastrophic event. For several hours, neither agent knew if the other was alive.
“Our National Preparedness events are being held Sept. 11 as a tribute to those individuals who lost their lives in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania as well as the many first responders who rendered assistance,” said Steve Harris, director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness. “9/11 was a marque moment for our nation, and it is our hope that UGA’s participation in National Preparedness Month events will remind everyone that they are susceptible to emergencies, and even a small amount of preparation will serve them well.”
The presentation is part of the Academic-Professional Security Series, sponsored by the Office of Emergency Preparedness and the Center for International Trade and Security, which is a unit of the School of Public and International Affairs.
The Office of Emergency Preparedness also will host its annual Resource Fair at the Tate Student Center Sept. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon. The event will include representatives from the UGA Police Department, Environmental Safety Division, College of Public Health, National EMS, UGA Community Emergency Response Team and College of Pharmacy as well as an Amateur Radio Display.
On Sept. 23, the Office of Emergency Preparedness will test the UGAAlert system, which provides emergency notifications on multiple university platforms. That test will occur at approximately 10:45 a.m.
In advance of the test, faculty, staff and students can verify and update their notification information for the system at www.ugaalert.uga.edu.
A survey with questions about the UGAAlert test will be online after the test at www.prepare.uga.edu.