1. Be Informed - Get the latest updates from City of Rochester response agencies through your cell phone or by email or phone call.  If you live or work in Rochester, enroll in Rochester Alert.  Traveling or visiting? Receive Wireless Emergency Alerts via your enabled smartphone (all 2012 or later smartphones).
2. Take Small Steps to Prepare - Do1Thing.com offers simple steps to prepare for whatever might happen.  This 12 month program breaks emergency preparation into small steps to get ready for the unthinkable.  The goal is to be ready by doing one small step each month.  By the end of one year, you will be better prepared for most anything.
3. Own a Business or Work? - Resilience is a popular word in emergency management.  Will our community "bounce back" after a disaster?  Rochester already has a good foundation:  steady employment, top notch medical care, housing.  Still, we need everyone to be ready - even at work.  Do1Thing Business offers 12 steps to prepare your business or workplace from minor emergencies to major disasters. Go to Do 1 Thing Business to get started.

About Emergency Management

As a profession, emergency management began in the 1950s as a result of the nuclear arms race.  Civil defense - as it was called - helped cities and counties prepare for a nuclear disaster.  Fortunately, no bombs were launched, and planners worked to make a difference in other areas.  Weather is the most pressing threat, be it from floods, tornadoes, ice storms, or heat waves.  Train derailments and other incidents pose a hazard where dangerous chemicals could be released.

Today, emergency management seeks to prepare the community for a disaster through:

• Planning, training, and exercises
• Coordinate emergency response
• Minimize hazards and threats impacting life and property
• Recovery from significant emergencies and disasters

To understand the role of today's emergency manager, watch this short video on the Essential Emergency Manager