The New Year is a perfect time to “Resolve to be Ready,” and Jefferson County Homeland Security & Emergency Management is proud to promote emergency preparedness for 2011.

Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign, “Resolve to be Ready” is a nationwide effort designed to increase awareness as well as encourage individuals, families, businesses and communities to take action and prepare for emergencies in the New Year.

Americans who make New Year’s resolutions are 11 times more likely to report continued success changing a problem than comparable individuals who have not made a resolution, according to be “Journal of Clinical Psychology.”

The Ready Campaign would like to make an emergency preparedness resolution easy to keep by providing the tools and resources needed to take the three important steps:

Get an emergency supply kit;

Make a family emergency plan; and

Be informed about the types of emergencies that can happen in your area and their appropriate responses.

“We need only to look back to February of last year when a record snow fell on our area to understand the need to keep a two-week supply of food, water and medications on-hand, as well as flashlights and a battery-operated radio to receive public information” said Barbara Miller, Jefferson County’s emergency manager, in a press release. “All families and businesses need to be prepared for storm-related power outages and other perils that can befall our area. I hope that everyone will ‘Resolve to Be Ready’ in 2011 and take steps now to prepare their property, their family and their pets for all kinds of emergencies.”

For more information, visit www.jeffersoncountywv.org/homeland-security or you may, visit or the Spanish-language website, www.listo.gov, or call 1-800-BE-Ready or 1-888-SE-LISTO (TTY 1-800-462-7585).