The new ReadyChesco.org Website will help county residents be better prepared in the event of an emergency.
WEST CHESTER — September marks National Preparedness Month and the Chester County Department of Emergency Services (DES) is launching its new website ReadyChesco.org to encourage the residents of Chester County to be prepared and know their risks.
ReadyChesco.org promotes having Ready kits prepared in case of an emergency. A Ready kit is simply a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency. This means having your own food, water, medications and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least 72 hours.
“We are encouraging everyone to have kits assembled well in advance of emergency,” says Robert Kagel, Deputy Director for Emergency Management. “You may have to leave your home, with little advance notice and might not have time to look for the supplies you need.”
Also available on ReadyChesco.org are checklists to help residents prepare Ready kits for pets and for any person with specific needs such as the elderly, businesses, pets and people with specials needs.
Also in September, DES along with the Chester County Health Department will be handing out the yearly preparedness newspaper at four of the SEPTA train stations in Chester County, as well as the annual Kennett Square Mushroom Festival, First Friday in Phoenixville, Exton Square Mall and West Chester’s annual Restaurant Festival, along with several speaking events throughout the county.
During those events, DES expects to hand out about 9,000 bags filled with preparedness information for both adults and children. Preparedness postcards will be available at every Chester County Library and Wawa store located in Chester County.
DES will also be encouraging residents to sign up for ReadyNotifyPA.org. ReadyNotifyPA.org allows County and Municipal officials to send E-mail or text messages to cell phones, pagers or other E-mail enabled devices during an emergency. A link is also available on ReadyChesco.org.
“After the ice storms of this past winter, we realize the importance and need of having more ways to communicate with the public. ReadyNotify is a great, free service available to all residents and municipalities in Chester County,” says John Haynes, Acting Director of the Department of Emergency Services.
Each week of National Preparedness Month is themed for different audiences on how to be prepared. DES will be getting this information out through social media outlets: facebook.com/ccdes and twitter.com/ccdes, and via www.chesco.org/des
