{"id":7008,"date":"2026-09-10T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7008"},"modified":"2026-09-10T13:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T13:30:00","slug":"veteran-and-va-ready-leading-preparedness-this-september","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7008","title":{"rendered":"Veteran and VA Ready: Leading preparedness this September"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-09-10T13:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Emergency Management Agency marks this September\u2019s National Preparedness Month with the theme \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ready.gov\/stand-ready\" rel=\"noopener\">Americans Stand Ready<\/a>.\u201d With it, the Department of Veterans Affairs reinforces two key assurances: Veteran Ready and VA Ready.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Veteran Ready<\/h2>\n<p>The FEMA-led NPM observance asks Americans to turn preparedness into action by volunteering, organizing and sharing skills with neighbors. Veterans are a natural fit for the role, given their training in planning, logistics and crisis response.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVeterans already know how to prepare, adapt and lead under pressure \u2014 that\u2019s what their service instilled in them,\u201d said Derrick Jaastad, executive director of the Veterans Health Administration\u2019s Office of Emergency Management (OEM). \u201cThis is about channeling that experience into local communities, so Veterans aren\u2019t just ready themselves \u2014 they\u2019re helping everyone around them stand ready, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>VA\u2019s Office of Operations, Security and Preparedness and the VHA OEM coordinated with FEMA\u2019s Ready Campaign throughout September, aligning weekly themes with Veteran-specific outreach. Other themes focus on identifying local risks, building family emergency plans that include VA health and benefits information, and assembling emergency kits stocked with medications and key documents.<\/p>\n<p>VA encourages Veterans to engage with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.volunteer.va.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VA\u2019s volunteer services<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fema.gov\/emergency-managers\/individuals-communities\/preparedness-activities-webinars\/community-emergency-response-team\" rel=\"noopener\">Community Emergency Response Teams<\/a> and local emergency management offices to mentor neighbors on basic preparedness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe ask Veterans to consider one simple action: share what you know,\u201d Jaastad said. \u201cWhether that\u2019s helping a neighbor build a kit or joining a local response team, that\u2019s how readiness spreads \u2014 one household, one community at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Krystal Disanto, Army Veteran and employee of the Veterans Health Administration\u2019s Office of Emergency Management shares emergency preparedness tips with Veterans Sept. 13, 2025, during National Preparedness Month in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kurt M. Rauschenberg, VA Public Affairs Specialist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">VA Ready<\/h2>\n<p>VA has a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/VHAEMERGENCYMANAGEMENT\/4thMission.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Fourth Mission<\/a>,\u201d authorizing support, not just for enrolled Veterans, but entire communities when local medical systems buckle under a storm\u2019s weight.\u00a0OSP\u00a0and VHA OEM\u00a0work year-round to track threats, protect VA facilities and pre-position staff and supplies where they\u2019re most needed.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, that means VA can perform outreach, surge mobile medical units into storm-damaged communities, transfer patients from threatened hospitals before landfall, and keep Veterans connected to care through telehealth when roads are impassable and clinics are dark. VA coordinates directly with FEMA and the Department of Health and Human Services, state emergency managers and local agencies, so that when a storm makes landfall, the response is already moving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we have the capacity, capability and authority to respond with our emergency management resources, we will,\u201d Jaastad said. \u201cThis is our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But even the most capable emergency system has limits. It cannot help a Veteran who cannot be reached.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Answer the call<\/h2>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=disaster\">major storms or incidents occur<\/a>, VA may contact Veterans in affected areas by phone, text or email with real-time information about clinic closures, alternate care sites, pharmacy refills and evacuation guidance.<\/p>\n<p>Veterans are urged to do two things:\u00a0prepare and respond.<\/p>\n<p>If you are a Veteran with high-risk medical conditions and a weather threat is predicted, keep your phone charged and save your VA medical center\u2019s number in your contacts. If a call or text comes from VA during a weather threat, open it. Read it. The message may ask if you need assistance, tell you where to refill a critical prescription, how to reach your care team by telehealth, or where the nearest alternate clinic is located. Missing that message could mean missing care.<\/p>\n<p>VA also asks Veterans to make sure their contact information \u2014 phone number, address and email \u2014 is current in the system before storm season intensifies. It takes minutes to update, and it ensures VA can reach you when it matters most.<\/p>\n<p>National Preparedness Month runs throughout the month of September, but Jaastad says the push to engage Veterans in community readiness will continue year-round.<\/p>\n<p>Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/resources\/disaster-help\/\" rel=\"noopener\">VA emergency preparedness resources<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/149260\/veteran-va-ready-leading-preparedness-september\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During National Preparedness Month, Veterans and VA work together to strengthen community preparedness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Veteran and VA Ready: Leading preparedness this September - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"During National Preparedness Month, Veterans and VA work together to strengthen community preparedness.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7008\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veteran and VA Ready: Leading preparedness this September - 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