September 17-23 is the third week of National Preparedness Month. During this week, we ask that you take some time to practice and refine your family emergency plans. Often you are the help until help arrives. That's why practice makes perfect! Practice your plans by completing an exercise, workshop, or training.

In addition, check out the below information that can help prepare you and your family for the unexpected.

Did you know that a person with severe bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, before trained medical responders can arrive? Though many severe injuries from gunshots, explosions, or traumatic accidents are not survivable with any amount of care, for others, the difference between life and death is a race against the clock—a race to treat the injury before blood loss claims a life. Bystanders can play a critical role in survival by slowing or stopping blood loss long enough for the injured person to reach advanced medical care. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security, along with other government agencies and private sector organizations, joined the effort to launch Recently, the Department of Homeland Security, along with other government agencies and private sector organizations, joined the effort to launch Stop the Bleed , an initiative to give individuals the knowledge to act quickly and save lives in those critical first few minutes. Stop the Bleed and initiatives like it teach people to follow a few basic steps to control blood loss. These lessons, like CPR training, can transform bystanders without medical training into "immediate responders" to help the wounded survive long enough to get medical care. Actions as simple as applying pressure to the wound using a t-shirt or towel (or even your hands) can help save lives. The Office of Health Affairs offers Stop the Bleed training to employees across the Department. If you would like to learn more about this lifesaving initiative or to set up training for your office/component, send a message to stopthebleed@hq.dhs.gov.



Another aspect of being prepared includes being financially ready before an emergency happens. Strengthen your financial preparedness

Complete an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit to organize essential financial information.

Check your insurance coverage. Most homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover damage or losses from flooding. If you are not insured for flood damages, talk with your insurance agent. Information on flood insurance is also available at FloodSmart.gov. Remember, it takes 30 days for a new flood insurance policy to take effect, so act now to protect your family in the future.

The better we prepare our families, the better they are able to respond to the disaster and you can remain mission focused when our nation needs us the most.

Visit ready.gov/September for more tips and information. Remember, each step we take to become better prepared will make a real difference in how our families and communities will respond and persevere when faced with the unexpected. A prepared people is a prepared nation.