<p>September is here and this month represents many things to different people. For adolescents, college students and parents with young children it means back-to-school time; for football fans it means the long-awaited kickoff of NFL regular season games; and every now and then it means an occasional break from the high summer temperatures as we transition in to the Fall season. But September also represents, particularly in our post-9/11 world, National Preparedness Month which is a nation-wide awareness campaign focusing on individual and community preparedness for all types of emergencies. The week of September 4 – 10 focuses on developing a Family Communication Plan. For assistance with developing yours today visit: https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan. </p>
<p>Between climate change, the growing threat of international & domestic terrorism and a number of other geo, political and social issues, we continue to see a trend of growing risks both in our Orange County community as well as the country as a whole. The most effective way for our country to be prepared for the unknown and develop resilient communities begins in the “home” and with “you” and “me”. In the immediate aftermath of a large-scale disaster, 9-1-1 will not be an available “lifeline” and first responders will be overwhelmed with the large volume of requests for assistance. This is nationally recognized reality and the message that all levels of government from the federal level to local municipalities are pushing to citizens. Communities, neighborhoods, families and individuals must become self-sufficient and this is the whole purpose behind National Preparedness Month. Join the 20 million other individuals participating in America’s PrepareAthon at https://community.fema.gov/</p>
<p>The UCI Police Department is asking the members of our community (i.e. students, staff, faculty, visitors, etc.) to take action now and develop plans to prepare yourself, your family and your pets for the unknown. There are a variety of online resources can guide your effort to enhance your preparedness activities including the UCIPD website @ http://www.police.uci.edu/ under “Emergency Mgmt” (right hand column), Ready OC @ http://www.readyoc.org/ and Ready.gov @ http://www.ready.gov/september.</p>
<p>Be Smart. Take Part. Prepare </p>
<p><strong>We encourage the community to partner with the UC Irvine Police Department to prevent or report crime by calling (949) 824-5223. If you wish to remain Anonymous, call “OC Crime Stoppers” by dialing 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227), text "OCCS" plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or use the website </strong><strong>http://occrimestoppers.org/</strong><br />
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<p><br />
<strong>UC Irvine Police Department<br />
(949) 824-5223 </strong><br />
<strong>http://police.uci.edu/</strong><br />
<strong>http://facebook.com/UCIrvinePD</strong><br />
<strong>http://twitter.com/UCIrvinePD</strong><br />
<strong>http://youtube.com/UCIrvinePD</strong><br />
<strong>http://nixle.com/University-of-California-Irvine-Police-Department</strong></p>
