2025 National Preparedness Month: County Participation Toolkit

County governments across America play a critical role in preparing for or recovering from major disaster events, including extreme heat, hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other emergencies. In honor of September as National Preparedness Month, the National Association of Counties (NACo) provides resources and solutions to strengthen county government capacity for disaster mitigation.

Participation Resources

Join NACo in Advocating for the FEMA Act

When disasters strike, county governments across the nation are frontline responders. Counties provide critical care to residents in need, clear debris, rebuild neighborhoods, operate shelters, provide food and fund hospitals. With disasters increasing in frequency and intensity, counties across the nation face rising costs and long delays in federal reimbursements. The Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act provides long-overdue reforms to streamline disaster recovery, increase transparency and make federal assistance more accessible to local communities.

Through NACo's Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force, county officials provided direct feedback to federal partners, helping to shape key provisions of the bill.

Specifically, counties support:

• Establishing a universal disaster application: Streamlined access to federal aid would improve survivor outcomes by reducing confusion, duplication and delays in the application process.
• Public Assistance Program reform: Transitioning the Public Assistance Program from the traditional reimbursement process to a grant-based model would provide faster access to federal disaster funds, allowing counties to more quickly restore vital infrastructure.
• Creating a public assistance dashboard: Increased transparency in the Public Assistance Program process would allow counties to track project approvals, identify delays, and better manage expectations and timelines.  
• Reforming disaster mitigation programs: Involving counties in state mitigation planning would enable counties to proactively address vulnerabilities before the next disaster strikes and better protect their residents. 

View NACo's Letter of Support Send a Letter of Support Read the FEMA Act

Pass a Resolution

Use this template to pass a resolution recognizing September as National Preparedness Month in your county.

Write an Op-Ed

Spread the word about the county role in disaster response, advocate for the FEMA Act and highlight local efforts to strengthen disaster resilience during National Preparedness Month.

FEMA Advice & Resources

FEMA’s Ready Campaign offers a comprehensive toolkit of both general resources and those specific to the 2025 theme: Preparedness Starts at Home.

The theme focuses on the four key actions county residents can take to prepare for any disaster.

1. Know your risk
2. Make a family emergency plan
3. Build an emergency supply kit
4. Get involved in your community by taking action to prepare for emergencies

Avoid Scams

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers this one-page document to distribute to your residents with practical advice for spotting and avoiding scams. The FTC also offers a portal to report fraudulent activities here.

Listen to Community Stories

Host key stakeholders and county residents with lived experience of disasters and impactful insights to inform local decision making. By including state and federal policymakers in these discussions, county leaders can advocate for preparedness priorities and highlight specific challenges in local capacity.

Build Local Partnerships

Form strategic partnerships with industry leaders, service providers, local universities and neighboring counties to maximize resources and capacity.

Participate in NACo’s Committees

The Resilient Counties Advisory Board (RCAB) connects county leaders and staff involved in disaster mitigation, recovery and environmental resilience. Members have access to monthly committee meetings, an opportunity to share experiences and learn from your peers and guest speakers. Please contact committee@naco.org to learn more.

NACo’s Justice and Public Safety and Environment, Energy & Land-Use Policy Steering Committees help shape the county platform around preparedness issues. Please contact your state association of counties if you are interested in joining. Learn more here. 

Post to Social Media

 Use the template posts below to post about National Preparedness Month and highlight your county’s activities on social media.

• September is National Preparedness Month! [COUNTY] joins @NACoTweets and counties across America in urging Congress to support the FEMA Act. Together we can streamline disaster recovery and build more resilient communities.
• This September, [COUNTY] joins communities across the nation in recognizing National Preparedness Month. By learning and working together, Americans can be ready to withstand any disaster event.
• We hope you will join [COUNTY] in recognizing September as #NationalPreparednessMonth. By preparing for the future, we honor the bravery of our first responders and safeguard our community.
• As part of National Preparedness Month, [COUNTY] will be [EVENT/ACTION]. We encourage you to participate and help contribute to our community’s readiness!
• This #NationalPreparednessMonth, @FEMA is getting back to the essentials of preparedness with the theme: Preparedness Starts at Home. [COUNTY] is supporting that effort through [EVENT/ACTION]. Learn more at [LINK].
• This September, [COUNTY] recognizes #NationalPreparednessMonth with a reminder that community preparedness is born of our shared strength and readiness. Access local resources to help you prepare your family at [LINK].
• Counties are at the forefront of disaster preparedness and cross-government collaboration. This #NationalPreparednessMonth, [COUNTY] will be working with federal, state and local partners to strengthen our partnerships and keep our communities safe. Learn more here.