The District of Columbia will kick off its observance of National Preparedness Month with a pep rally at 10 a.m., September 6, at Anne Beers Elementary School, 3600 Alabama Avenue, S.E.  Mayor Adrian Fenty will present a proclamation at the rally designating September as Preparedness Month in the District of Columbia and urging citizens to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities.

Darrell Darnell, director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), said, “We have an ambitious schedule planned for the month, a combination of city-sponsored events and speaking engagements and fairs sponsored by federal agencies and private companies.  We attempted to reach out to as many stakeholders as possible with the goal of empowering them with knowledge so that they are prepared to respond to emergencies of all types,” he said.

The District of Columbia is one of more than 625 local and federal government agencies, businesses, non-profit organizations, educational institutions and other entities nationwide that have joined the effort to promote personal, family and business preparedness by pledging to conduct activities during September to promote preparedness.  Sponsored annually by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready campaign, for the first time this year the campaign has a designated theme for each week:  

•  Week One – Children/Back to School
•  Week Two – Business preparedness
•  Week Three – Multicultural preparedness
•  Week Four – General personal preparedness with emphasis on animals, persons with special  needs, the elderly.

The District’s observance is a multi-agency effort focusing on outreach to each of the targeted populations with a special effort to also include the many federal employees who work in the city as well as the city’s business community.