Ready.gov

Author: Kaitlyn Short

Ready is a national PSA campaign designed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Launched in 2003, the campaign is educational in nature and has been widely advertised with the hope of helping US citizens be better prepared for natural or man made disasters. 

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The Good

• Database
• Resources
• Topics

Ready.gov is a vast database of informative and promotional materials designed to give a basic education on every imaginable emergency scenario, and to spread awareness of the wisdom of being prepared. A small selection of the topics covered includes:

• Pandemic
• Drought
• Extreme heat and cold
• Hurricanes
• Landslides
• Space weather
• Volcanoes
• Tsunamis
• Tornadoes
• Winter Storms
• Terrorist attacks
• Blackouts
• Nuclear events

In addition, there are resources on how to make an emergency plan and how to create an emergency kit. There are materials on preparing your place of business, and a kids' section with games, projects, and useful information for parents and educators of children facing disaster. We think the kids' section is a great idea which makes the Ready site stand out, though the games could use some improvement. We like the wide variety of topics covered by this site; there are some events covered here that are not mentioned on other preparedness sites. Unusual events like space weather and volcanoes are represented here in the event the information is needed.

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The Bad

• Depth

The worst issue with the Ready website is the flip side of the variety coin - we think the website is very broad but not especially deep. There is a basic surface overview of every possible topic, but not a lot of real in-depth education as one might find on other sites. If you have ever seen a government brochure on any topic, you get the idea.

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The Bottom Line

This site is recommended for a broad, basic education on disaster readiness, volunteer opportunities, and for their kids' section. There is no emergency store of any kind. For someone wanting to go more in-depth on a particular topic, who wants to find downloadable or printable checklists and planners, food storage calculators, or who wants to purchase emergency supplies, Ready.gov is not recommended for those purposes.