September marks National Preparedness Month, a nationwide coordinated effort that encourages Americans to learn more about ways to prepare for all types of emergencies, from health emergencies like the Covid pandemic, to natural disasters like flooding or power outages, to potential terrorist actions or attacks.
The annual Ready Campaign, run each September by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), reminds citizens that anything can happen ‒ anytime, anywhere ‒ so it is essential to be prepared so that we can keep ourselves, our families and communities safe.
Ready.gov is a federal government website that provides information on how to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters.
The 2024 Theme is “Start a Conversation.” Talking about bad things that could happen like a disaster or emergency isn’t always easy. We may think we’re protecting the people we love by avoiding these conversations, but they are important to start taking steps to get ready and stay safe.
The Livingston Township Council issued a Proclamation on Monday, August 26, 2024 declaring September as National Preparedness Month to encourage members of the community to become more aware of both the importance of being prepared for emergencies and the planning resources that are available.
The Livingston Office of Emergency Management and Livingston Health Department maintain a list of homebound residents who may need assistance evacuating their homes in the event of an emergency. Interested residents should fill out the form at livingstonnj.org/Homebound. Residents may also access additional planning resources at livingstonnj.org/EmergencyResources.
Residents can stay up to date on official information and events by following the town’s social media accounts. Follow the town on Facebook and Instagram at Livingston Township, NJ and on X (Twitter) @Livingston_NJ.
Livingston’s website offers information and links to helpful resources for families, parents, children, and businesses at livingstonnj.org/BePrepared. Additional links there provide access to more valuable information and resources.
For more information about National Preparedness Month, visit ready.gov/September or call 1-800-BE-READY (1-800-237-3239).
Here are books available with your Livingston Library card on disaster preparedness, emergency planning and survivalism, and even on planning for the next apocalypse!
Apocalypse Ready : The Manual of Manuals; a Century of Panic Prevention by Taras Young
An expertly curated compilation of officially published step-by-step guides on how to deal with every kind of disaster imaginable, drawn from government archives all around the world from the 1910s to today. Organized into four broad disaster-themed scenarios – Pandemics, Natural Disasters, Nuclear War and Alien Invasion – this visual guide displays the plethora of public survival advice and scare tactics proposed from all around the globe to deal with every disaster scenario that has occurred or been imagined since the early 20th century.
The Blessings of Disaster : The Lessons that Catastrophes Teach Us and Why Our Future Depends On It by Michel Bruneau
This book draws on knowledge from multiple disciplines to illustrate how our civilization’s future successes and failures in dealing with societal threats-be they pandemics, climate change, overpopulation, monetary collapse, and nuclear holocaust-can be predicted by observing how we currently cope with and react to natural and technological disasters.
The Devil Never Sleeps : Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters by Juliette N. Kayyem
Presenting the basic themes of crisis management, Kayyem amends the principles we rely on far too easily. Instead, she offers us a new framework to anticipate the “devil’s” inevitable return, highlighting the leadership deficiencies we need to overcome and the forward thinking we need to harness. It’s no longer about preventing a disaster from occurring, but learning how to use the tools at our disposal to minimize the consequences when it does. Filled with personal anecdotes and real-life examples from natural disasters like the California wildfires to man-made ones like the Boeing 737 MAX crisis, this is a guide for governments, businesses, and individuals alike on how to alter our thinking so that we can develop effective strategies in the face of perpetual catastrophe.
The Disaster-Ready Home : A Step-By-Step Emergency Preparedness Manual for Sheltering in Place by Creek Stewart
Survival expert and bestselling author Stewart gives you a step-by-step emergency preparedness plan to meet your food, water, heat, and sanitation needs during any disaster. Including detailed lists, photographs, and complete instructions to make the plan easy to follow, this book is the only resource you need for a disaster. You’ll learn how to: create an emergency pantry stocked with enough food for the timeframe of your choice-from two weeks to three months to a full year; select and store food that fits your taste, diet, and budget; set up long-term water storage and renewable water sources; effectively manage sanitation issues if running water is unavailable; and much more.
The Disaster Survival Guide : How to Prepare For and Survive Floods, Fires, Earthquakes, and More by Marie D. Jones
Covering the basic needs from food, water, and first aid to shelter, security, and self-defense, this informative guide walks readers through the steps it takes to create their own personal emergency action plan. It provides a catalog of the skills, tools, and items needed to endure and overcome a variety of situations and circumstances. Plus, it provides insights into how to react and respond when disaster does strike.
Disasterology : Dispatches From the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis by Samanth Montano
Dr. Montano, a disaster researcher, brings readers with her on an eye-opening journey through some of our worst disasters, helping readers make sense of what really happened from an emergency management perspective. She explains why we aren’t doing enough to prevent or prepare for disasters, the critical role of the media, and how our approach to recovery was not designed to serve marginalized communities. Now that climate change is contributing to the disruption of ecosystems and worsening disasters, Dr. Montano offers a preview of what will happen to our communities if we don’t take aggressive, immediate action.
Dr. Disaster’s Guide to Surviving Everything : Essential Advice for Any Situation Life Throws Your Way by John E. Torres
A practical, all-encompassing guide to disaster preparedness-from avalanches and blackouts to pandemics and wildfires-from NBC News senior medical correspondent and emergency medicine physician Dr. John Torres.
How to Prepare for Climate Change : A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos by David Pogue
A practical guide to adapting to the new climate. It covers where to live; how to invest; how to insure; how to talk to your kids; how to build; what to grow; how to prepare a business; and how to prepare for flood, fire, drought, hurricane, heat waves, and tornadoes.
The Next Apocalypse : The Art and Science of Survival by Chris Begley
Killer viruses, nuclear war, zombie uprisings, an asteroid crashing into earth, catastrophic climate change—there’s no limit to the myriad end-of-the-world scenarios people imagine and worry about. Begley, an archaeologist and wilderness-survival instructor, explores “what actually happens in a catastrophe, how we make it through, and why we think about all of this in the ways we do.” He looks to the past—the collapse of Maya civilization, the decline of the Roman Empire, the decimation of Native American societies—for lessons on how future apocalypses might develop. Environmental changes, sociopolitical dynamics, infectious diseases, and colonialism can be causative factors. He also briefly considers apocalypse-themed religious texts, literature, and movies and ponders concepts of disaster, starting over, and resilience.
The Prepared Home : How to Stock, Organize, and Edit Your Home to Thrive in Comfort, Safety, and Style by Melissa George
Whether there’s a power outage, the wi-fi goes out, or you are asked to quarantine, you should have plans and preparedness goals that don’t take over your space and your life. George provides a guide to help you transform your home from entertaining mode to disaster-ready mode, using clever ways to store emergency items.
The Survivalist’s Handbook: How to Thrive When Things Fall Apart by Rainer Stahlberg
Here are step-by-step plans for surviving a range of disasters—both natural and manmade. Stahlberg provides extensive lists of survival supplies: food, cooking utensils, shelter and camping equipment, defensive weapons, medicine, and items to barter.
The Urban Prepper’s Guide : How to Become Self-Sufficient and Prepared For the Next Crisis by Jim Cobb
Our comfortable urban lives can be disrupted at a moment’s notice. Whether by global disasters such as pandemic or war, or local catastrophes such as wildfires, floods or supply issues; you need to know how to respond to a variety of emergencies. Cobb, an authority on disaster readiness, introduces you to techniques and strategies to prepare your home and loved ones. These simple measures–designed for urban dwellers with tight budgets and limited space–include: water purification, food preservation and preparation, shielding from the elements, first-aid, emergency communications, fire and accident protection, financial planning, and emergency evacuation.
Wild Wisdom : Primal Skills to Survive in Nature by Donny Dust
Survive anything nature throws your way with these survival tips and wilderness philosophy. A US Marine Corps veteran and owner of a premier survival and wilderness self-reliance school, Dust amassed two decades worth of primitive-living skills everywhere from the jungles of Asia to the mountains of North America and is one of the country’s foremost experts.
Online Courses Available to Livingston Library Cardholders:
Universal Class has a course–Disaster Preparedness 101
Udemy also offers courses on emergency preparedness and management.
—Archana Chiplunkar, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian