September is National Preparedness Month (NPM). It is a time to prepare yourself and those in your care for an unexpected emergency.

If you’ve seen the news recently, you know that emergencies can happen unexpectedly. We’ve seen tornado outbreaks, river floods and flash floods, historic earthquakes, tsunamis, and even water main breaks and power outages in U.S. cities affecting millions of people for days at a time. September is also prime hurricane season and although hurricanes are a greater threat to the coast, these systems can easily bring strong winds, downpours, lightning and isolated tornadoes to the Atlanta area.

This September, please prepare and plan in the event you must go for an extended period of time without electricity, water service, access to a supermarket, or local services for several days. Just follow these steps:

1. Pay attention to emergency alerts. You can register through Passport to receive Georgia Tech Emergency Notification System (GTENS) messages. The Institute also issues alerts through the Outdoor Siren Warning System, social media, digital signs, campus cable network and Wrek Radio.
2. Know how to respond. Sign up to take Emergency Preparedness courses. All training is free and typically lasts between 1 and 2 hours.
3. Have a plan. Print and read the GT Emergency Response Guidebook.
4. Have supplies on hand. Visit Ready.gov for suggestions on important items and documents to keep on hand.
5. Trust your instincts. If you feel like you are in danger or you see something suspicious, call the Georgia Tech Police Department at (404) 894-2500 to report it.

Police, fire and rescue may not always be able to reach you quickly, such as if trees and power lines are down or if they're overwhelmed by demand from an emergency. The most important step you can take in helping your local responders is being able to take care of yourself and those in your care; the more people who are prepared, the quicker the community will recover.