Prepping is often scorned by the general public due to the term's stereotypical implications — many people think preppers are paranoid, delusional, or weird basement-dwellers hoping to be part of the ruling class during some sort of fictional zombie apocalypse or Mad-Max-style doomsday. We often find ourselves frustrated by these misconceptions, since our experience in this community has made one thing clear time and time again: preppers are overwhelmingly normal, reasonable, kind-hearted people who simply want to protect themselves and their families from any danger that might arise.

We probably sound like a broken record after the number of times we've said this, but preparedness is not about hoarding katanas and flamethrowers to fight the undead. It's about taking practical steps to be ready for real-world emergencies, big and small. A prepared individual will be able to better mentally and physically cope with an adverse situation.

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Fortunately, this month has provided a good way to dispel some of these misconceptions about prepping and teach your friends and family the value of an emergency plan. September has been declared National Preparedness Month. This decision was recently announced by President Donald Trump, and will be supported by campaigns from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Ready.gov.

National Preparedness Month focuses on individual and group emergency response strategies.

National Preparedness Month will be separated into four weekly themes:

• Week 1: September 1-9 — Make a Plan for Yourself, Family and Friends
• Week 2: September 10-16 — Plan to Help Your Neighbors and Community
• Week 3: September 17-23 — Practice and Build Out Your Plans
• Week 4: September 24-30 — Get Involved! Be a Part of Something Larger

FEMA even offers free emergency preparedness publications, a smartphone app, and a text message preparedness tip program (text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA) – msg/data rates apply).

The goal for National Preparedness Month is to “increase the overall number of individuals, families, and communities that engage in preparedness actions at home, work, business, school, and place of worship.” While we strongly advise you to go above and beyond the simple steps recommended by this campaign, this is a good opportunity to learn the basics, and it's a great way to introduce your loved ones to the importance of being ready.

For more information and resources related to National Preparedness Month, including content to share with your friends on social media, go to Ready.gov/September.

Written by Patrick McCarthy