September is National Preparedness Month, with this year's theme highlighting the importance of starting readiness efforts at home. The campaign encourages individuals to take practical steps now to prepare for natural disasters, power outages, or other emergencies.
The University Organizational Resilience – Northern Command (UOR-NC) is supporting preparedness by offering guidance and resources for students, faculty, and staff at home, work, and in educational spaces.
"Preparedness Starts at Home," the theme for 2025, underscores the value of planning ahead. UOR-NC suggests three immediate actions: making a communication plan with family or colleagues during emergencies; assembling an emergency kit that includes water, non-perishable food, flashlight, batteries, first-aid supplies and important documents; and staying informed by updating emergency contacts in Workday or myWNC and downloading the WNCsafe campus safety app.
WNCsafe provides users with access to campus safety tools such as emergency contacts, crisis alerts, tip reporting features and location services. The app is available for free on both iOS and Android devices.
To further support preparedness efforts, UOR-NC will introduce a new monthly micro-training series this fall. These 20-minute Zoom sessions are scheduled on the third Wednesday of each month from 11:00 to 11:20 a.m. PT. Registration is required due to limited capacity of 30 participants per session.
A five-item checklist has also been shared to help community members get started:
- Save emergency contacts in your phone.
- Add WNCsafe to your home screen.
- Choose two meeting points—one near home and one outside your neighborhood.
- Assemble or refresh your emergency kit every six months.
- Plan to join one of the upcoming training sessions with a colleague or classmate.
These measures aim to build a culture of readiness within the college community.