GHS/OCD Host Contests for National Preparedness Month

Throughout the month of September, Guam will join the nation in celebrating National Preparedness Month (NPM) and promoting the importance of planning and preparing for man-made and natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods. This year’s NPM theme is, “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.”

The NPM Weekly Themes are as follows:

Week 1 September 1-4: Make a Plan: Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster. Make sure to update your plan based on the Centers for Disease Control recommendations due to the coronavirus.
Week 2 September 5-11: Build a Kit: Gather supplies that will last for several days after a disaster for everyone living in your home. Don’t forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet may have in case you have to evacuate quickly. Update your kits and supplies based on recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control.
Week 3 September 12-18: Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness: Limit the impacts that disasters have on you and your family. Know the risk of disasters in your area. Learn how to make your home stronger in the face of storms and other common hazards. Check your insurance coverage to make sure it is up-to-date.
Week 4 September 20-26: Teach Youth about Preparedness: Talk to your kids about preparing for emergencies and what to do in case you are separated. Reassure them by providing information about how they can get involved.

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) will host contests throughout NPM for Guam based schools, with opportunities to win emergency preparedness kits at the end of the month.

Elementary School Poster Contest

WHO MAY JOIN – Any student enrolled in any Guam based elementary school or day care.

Categories:

1) Head Start, K-5, and 1st grade

2) 2nd and 3rd grade

3) 4th and 5th grade

POSTER SPECIFICATIONS

Overall dimensions shall be letter size, 8.5’’x11’’, card stock or illustration board. Poster must be no thicker than 1⁄2 an inch.
Stenciled, traced, computer generated or commercially manufactured stick-on lettering or graphics are prohibited.
Crayons, markers, coloring pencils, paint, and pens are acceptable drawing mediums.
Construction paper and glue may be used.
Poster will be hung on a wall; all props are to stick to the poster.
Posters must incorporate pandemic safety and preparedness.
- One entry per student.
- Posters must have the following hashtags in their poster: #GuamNPM, #ReadyGU, #NatlPrep, and #PlanAhead
- Parents/guardians are encouraged to visit ready.gov (http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan) for some contributing ideas.
- Parents/guardians should not complete the poster board for the children, rather, help them formulate ideas.
- Posters will be judged on originality, the focus on the emergency preparedness themes, and the creativity of the poster.

IDENTIFICATION – All entries must be include the following information, printed on the back:
Name, Grade, School, Student’s Art Instructor/Teacher’s Name, phone number, and email.

DEADLINE – All entries must be submitted to Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense in Agana Heights or scanned and emailed to mar.espinosa@ghs.guam.gov and jaimie.franquez@ghs.guam.gov no later than 5 p.m., Friday, September 17, 2021. The winning student’s teachers will be notified by Wednesday, September 22, 2021 via email or by phone and will be posted on www.ghs.guam.gov website and social media.

Middle School Comic Poster Contest

WHO MAY JOIN – Any student enrolled in any Guam based middle school (6th– 8th grade).

POSTER SPECIFICATIONS

Overall dimensions shall be Legal Size (8.5’’ x 14’’) on cardstock paper, poster or illustration board.
Stenciled, traced, computer generated or commercially manufactured stick-on lettering or graphics are prohibited.
Markers, coloring pencils, and pens are acceptable drawing mediums.
Posters must incorporate:
- Week 2 Theme: Build a Kit OR Week 3 Theme: Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness.
- Pandemic safety and preparedness information, tips, or graphics.
Comic Strip must have no less than two panels.
Posters must have the following hashtags in their artwork: #GuamNPM, #ReadyGU, #NatlPrep , and #PrepareNow
Parents/guardians are encouraged to visit https://www.ready.gov/plan for some contributing ideas.
Parents/guardians should not complete the poster board for the children, rather, help them formulate ideas.
Posters will be judged on originality, the focus on the emergency preparedness theme, and the creativity of the poster.

IDENTIFICATION – All entries must be written clearly and must include the following information at the back of the poster: Name, Grade, School, Art Instructor/Teacher’s Name, phone number, and email.

High School Video Contest

WHO MAY JOIN – Any enrolled in any Guam based high school (9th – 12th grade).

VIDEO GUIDELINES AND SPECIFICATIONS

An individual or a group of no more than 3 may submit a digital video.
Digital video submissions should be at least 3 minutes (180 seconds) and not to exceed 8 minutes (480 seconds).
All entries must begin or end with a full-screen slide that includes the following information:
- Title of video
- Individual names and grades of those involved in the video.
- School name
- Name of teacher
Digital videos must incorporate two or more of the following weekly themes: Make a Plan, Build a Kit, Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness, or Teach Youth about Preparedness.
Videos must have the following hashtags in their video: #GuamNPM, #NatlPrep, #ReadyGU, and #PlanAhead
Students, Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit ready.gov (http://www.ready.gov/make- a-plan) for some contributing ideas.
Parents/guardians should not complete the video for the student, rather, help them formulate ideas.
Videos will be judged on originality, the focus on the emergency preparedness theme, and creativity.

DEADLINE: All video entries must be submitted with a YouTube or Vimeo link to mar.espinosa@ghs.guam.gov and jaimie.franquez@ghs.guam.gov, no later than 5 p.m., September 17, 2021.

Island Wide Instagram Contest

WHO MAY JOIN – Any person currently residing on Guam with an Instagram account. Participants under 18 must have authorization from their parents by emailing mar.espinosa@ghs.guam.gov.

SPECIFICATIONS

Posts must be the users’ original artwork, picture, or video of themselves (i.e. carrying disaster outreach materials, building a plan, practicing the earthquake drill, etc.).
Posts must have all hashtags in their caption: #GuamNPM, #NatlPrep, #ReadGU, and #PlanAhead
Post must tag @guamhomelandsecurity on their image and caption on Instagram.
Users must follow @guamhomelandsecurity or have their Instagram set to “Public” for judges to view their post.
Participants may win up to two times for the Island Wide Instagram Contest.
Participants may post a maximum of two times for the same week.
Participants are encouraged to visit ready.gov (http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan) for some contributing ideas.
Posts will be judged on originality of post, the focus on the weekly emergency preparedness theme, and the creativity of the post and caption.

IDENTIFICATION – All entries must have their posts and accounts public between September 1 to September 29.

DEADLINE – All entries must be posted by the end of each category week.

Category 1: Make a Plan. Deadline: 5pm, September 4
Category 2: Build a Kit. Deadline: 5pm, September 11
Category 3: Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness. Deadline: 5pm, September 18
Category 4: Teach Youth about Preparedness. Deadline: 5pm, September 26

WINNERS – Winners for each category will be recognized and presented with Preparedness Kits.

All entries will become property of Guam Homeland Security/Office of Civil Defense and may appear in future public outreach publications.

For contest information, contact Whole Community Preparedness Program Manager, Jaimie Franquez at (671) 475-9600 or via email at Jaimie.franquez@ghs.guam.gov or Typhoon Program Manager, Maria Espinosa at (671) 475-9600 or via email at mar.espinosa@ghs.guam.gov.

For media inquiries, contact Public Information Officer, Jenna G. Blas at (671) 478-0208 or via email at jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.