Community members:

We hope you enjoyed the holidays with friends and family. This week the Director of the Ready Campaign, Darryl Madden, would like to share a special message with you about preparedness in 2014.

First, tell us: what are you doing to prepare in 2014?

MESSAGE FROM DARRYL MADDEN, DIRECTOR OF THE READY CAMPAIGN

For many, the New Year is a time for setting goals and making new resolutions for the year to come. If you are anything like me, each year you find yourself resolving to achieve a healthier lifestyle – eating right, exercising more, losing a few pounds.

Setting personal health goals in the New Year is great, but improving overall well-being involves taking actions to be prepared. Knowing what to do in an emergency is vital to the health and safety of you and your loved ones.

This year, the Ready Campaign is challenging you to Prepare in 2014. Start the New Year by connecting with family and friends on the importance of preparedness. Not only can the information shared potentially save a life, connecting with those you love has an added benefit. People who have strong social connections tend to be healthier and more resilient.

I know the hardest part of keeping a resolution is sustaining it after those first few weeks of the year, but you don’t have to do it all at once.

How? Read the full post here!

HOW TO STORE DIGITAL COPIES OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

Do you know how you would get access to your important documents should they be destroyed in a disaster or emergency?

What if, after a disaster or emergency at home or while traveling, you lost everything?With no wallet, ID, or smart phone, how would you be able to produce your ID, or other important documents to get back on your feet?

Read the following post by a member of our community, Joseph Porcelli, who shares with us how he uses Google drive to download and print copies of critical documents: How to Use Google Drive to Store Digital Copies of Important Documents.