September is National Preparedness Month and there are resources available to help citizens get ready for emergencies.

“Our standard message is get a preparedness kit,” said East Pierce Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Jim Jaques.

Under the public education tab on the East Pierce website is a list of what to include in a disaster preparedness kit.

Jaques said it’s important to have an evacuation plan which can be followed when an emergency occurs and to have out-of-area contacts.

The purpose of the contacts is to not only have someone to stay with in case of emergency, but to have a place where people can call to get status updates. If someone knows their friends or family members go to a certain location, they know to call the location for updates on their safety. This helps people find each other and learn of others’ safety.

Jaques said one way to be informed about what’s going on is the Pierce County ALERT system. People have the option of entering their home phone and cell phone numbers into the system, so they would receive a call if an incident is expected.

More information on how to prepare for emergencies is online at www.eastpiercefire.org.