Natural disasters can strike at any time of year, but their numbers can spike in the summertime especially. In the U.S., the warmer months can bring wildfires in the western part of the country, hurricanes in the southeast, and the dry, windy conditions bring on tornadoes in the southwest. In other parts of the world, summer brings monsoons, flooding, and a host of other natural catastrophes.
Be Prepared
One of the best ways to lessen the level of damage inflicted by a natural disaster is to be prepared. PrepareAthon! is a grassroots campaign championed by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that aims to increase community preparedness and resilience in the face of natural disasters. PrepareAthon! outlines a few key steps on how to be as prepared as possible. Here are a few:
- Know Your Hazards: learn about the different kinds of natural disasters to increase your awareness.
- Take Action: read about ten different ways to participate in PrepareAthon!, such as accessing alerts and warnings or participating in a class, training, or discussion.
- Be Counted: create an account and register your preparedness activities.
- Spread the Word: select and customize materials to help you plan and promote your preparedness activities.
Additional Resources
Sometimes, however, you may not have a chance to prepare before a disaster strikes. If you are impacted by a natural disaster, you should visit DisasterAssistance.gov to find assistance, apply for it online, and check your application status. DisasterAssistance.gov reuses Benefits.gov technology and offers a prescreening questionnaire that provides a personalized list of possible assistance programs that fit your needs.
We also encourage you to check out Ready.gov for updates on current natural disaster threats and public health concerns.
To learn more about programs related to disaster-relief, check out our article Prepare Yourself for Natural Disasters.
Natural disasters can be destructive, and the damage can be severe for many communities. We hope you will use these resources for your protection in the event of a natural disaster. Be sure to take the Benefit Finder questionnaire to find other benefit programs you may be eligible to receive.
