West Hartford Disaster Prep Event Cancelled: UPDATE

Town of West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Located smack dab in the middle of hurricane season, September is the perfect month to practice National Preparedness Month because there's a lot to prepare for.

But because the Town of West Hartford must prepare for a possible bout with the effects of Hurricane Lee that day (at least in the form of a very windy day), a special event on disaster prepareation Saturday was canceled.

The Town of West Hartford is sponsoring a Community Preparedness Day that was set for Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the West Hartford Town Hall parking lot, 50 S. Main St. The event is free.

But with staff tied up with other issues, such as the potential high winds from Lee, which will miss Connecticut, but possibly come close enough to bring some rain and wind, it was canceled.

Local leaders, however, said Wednesday they will reschedule the program at a yet-to-be-announced date and time.

Since its inception in 2004, National Preparedness Month is observed each September.

It is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and encourages Americans to take steps to prepare for emergencies in their communities.

It is a time when individuals and families should take some time to plan for and prepare for natural and man-made disasters.

West Hartford’s first responders, including the West Hartford Fire Department, West Hartford Police Department, public works, West Hartford-Bloomfield Health Department, animal control, Office of Emergency Management, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the American Red Cross, will have preparedness information, free giveaways, equipment and vehicles for residents to take a look at.

During the month of September, West Hartford Community Interactive, WHCi, will be airing preparedness videos in between regular programming on Comcast Ch. 5, Frontier Ch. 6098 and on its YouTube channel.

These videos have been created by FEMA to help residents get ready for natural and manmade disasters.

Residents are also encouraged to visit the Ready.gov website (https://www.ready.gov/) which has a wealth of information on staying safe.

For more information on the Community Preparedness Day or the upcoming CERT class or to get more information on preparedness, please reach out to the Office of Emergency Management at OEM@westhartfordct.gov or call at 860-561-8310.

Visit ready.gov/september to learn more about National Preparedness Month