September is National Preparedness Month (NPM), and the Edison Electric Institute joins its member companies in supporting the federal government's "Pledge to Prepare" campaign.

National Preparedness Month, now in its ninth year, is a nationwide, month-long effort hosted by the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, encouraging households, businesses and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies. We invite you to join EEI and the thousands of other national, regional, tribal, state and local businesses and organizations who will be participating in this year’s campaign. Preparedness information and events are posted on Ready.gov's Web site.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it takes a whole community. This year’s "Pledge to Prepare" campaign focuses on turning awareness into action by encouraging all individuals and all communities nationwide to make an emergency preparedness plan. The electric power industry has a successful record of planning for, and responding to, a wide-range of emergency events. In addition to restoration following storms and other natural disasters, electric companies must plan for all types of scenarios that may impact their ability to provide reliable electric power.

• Learn how the electric utility industry prepares for, and responds to, natural disasters and other emergencies.

EEI’s Web site also has important information to help you get ready. Explore the site to find out:

• What to do in case of a power outage; and
• Items to include in an Emergency Outage Kit.