September kicks off National Preparedness Month which means that public safety agencies are busy working on a number of events to ensure that their communities are educated, informed, and ready to face any type of crisis situation. This year’s national theme is “Prepare to Protect.”
This year, CRESA will help YOU take action as they launch the twelfth annual online social challenge called: 30 Days, 30 Ways Preparedness Challenge. The challenge and game rules can be found at www.30days30ways.com, on Twitter at @30Days30Ways or on Facebook.
Being prepared for emergencies should be as common as wearing your seatbelt, and yet nearly every emergency preparedness survey conducted over the past decade indicates that 40-80% of people are unprepared to face certain hazards.
Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) created this 30-day contest in September 2010 and has, in the last 11 years, recorded the completion of over 60,000 readiness tasks from players in 44 states, 1 territory, and 38 countries. This year they are focusing on preparing as a community.
Players are given a daily challenge at 7:00 AM each morning. Players may submit replies to each of the tasks involved throughout the month to either Facebook, Twitter, or by email. Players can choose to play as many days as they would like throughout the month. Players may also catch up and complete past tasks for the month if they miss a day.
All tasks will be short and will not require a significant amount of time to complete. This year’s challenge will also provide opportunities for players to “Level Up” and recruit “Allies” to take the challenge with them. Additional points are rewarded for each person you recruit to take the challenge and for each task they complete as well.
CRESA’s primary goal is for people to do one simple thing to help them be better prepared for emergencies. By engaging with others about emergency preparedness on social media, players have an opportunity to connect with individuals who may not otherwise think about being ready for disasters. Through sharing and re-sharing information, it is vital for people to think about these interesting themes.
Submissions will be reviewed for their creativity, relativity to the task, and its evident popularity online. Winners will be selected and rewarded with gift cards to Amazon in October.
This game sparks great conversations and is a wonderful platform for neighborhoods, scouts, schools, and workplaces.
