CCP Helps Develop Ready? Set? Good. Emergency Preparedness Campaign for Baltimore Region (web article)

Baltimore-area residents will be better equipped to weather the first three days following an emergency if they prepare a home emergency supply kit containing a portable radio, a flashlight with extra batteries, and water (one gallon per person, per day for three days), according to guidelines issued by a new emergency preparedness campaign.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs (CCP) helped design and implement the public education campaign after conducting surveys and focus groups to find out how well people are prepared to face an emergency. While more than two-thirds of the respondents from five Baltimore area counties and Baltimore City said they have some emergency supplies on hand, the other third do not. Only about a quarter of residents feel ready to deal with disasters.

To better prepare area residents for potential emergencies, county executives from Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Howard counties along with the Baltimore Urban Area Work Group launched the Ready? Set? Good. campaign this week at the Police Command and Control Center in Towson. Through TV, radio, and print ads, the campaign urges everyone to have an emergency supply kit on hand with a radio, flashlight and water.

“People are concerned about a variety of threats-both man-made and natural-and want to feel more secure and self-sufficient if something happens,” said James Williams, Associate Director at CCP. “Having these supplies on hand will help them better cope during the first three days while the first responders are busy addressing other aspects of a crisis.”

Researchers also found that half of those surveyed felt insecure and were more concerned about man-made disasters, such as terrorism. Respondents want to be better prepared and more than 90 percent said having these three basic supplies on hand would be helpful in the case of an emergency.

The campaign logo consists of three arrows, one for each of the basic elements of an emergency supply kit. The slogan also has three words: Ready? Set? Good. All ads contain pictorials of the three preparedness items. One of the print ads and all broadcast materials begin with the headline: “You’re prepared to do anything to protect your family. Or are you?”

Ready? Set? Good. is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through the Baltimore Urban Area Initiative. More information is available at www.readysetgood.com.

With representatives in more than 30 countries, CCP partners with organizations worldwide to design and implement strategic communication programs that influence political dialogue, collective action, and individual behavior change; enhance access to information and the exchange of knowledge to improve health and health care; and conduct research to guide program design, evaluate impact, and advance knowledge and practice in health communication.

CCP media contact: Kim Martin at 410-659-6140 or kmartin@jhuccp.org.