New York National Guard Offering Disaster Preparedness Training on Thursday, December 4th

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New York Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Joseph Hernon leads a Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program session in Watertown, N.Y., on June 26, 2014.

ISLAND PARK, NY (12/01/2014)(readMedia)-- From helping citizens dig out of winter storms to prepping them for such emergencies, New York National Guard troops are part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's state readiness goals.

That's why these Soldiers and Airmen will be holding a session of Cuomo's continuing Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program at the Island Park Public Library here at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4. The program gives citizens the knowledge and tools to prepare for emergencies and disasters, respond accordingly, and recover as quickly as possible to pre-disaster conditions.

The program, designed by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), covers a broad range of emergency-preparedness topics, like developing a family emergency plan, registering for NY-Alert, the free statewide emergency alert system, and maintaining a 7 to 10-day supply of food and water. The recent Western New York snow storm that troops responded to stranded some residents at home for several days -- a disaster effect which highlights the importance of citizen readiness.

Cuomo launched the program in early February. Since then, troops of the Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program, along with DHSES personnel and local emergency officials, have held over 200 events statewide, and taught over 27,200 citizens how to be better prepared for emergencies and disasters like the Western New York snow storm.

These events included a 10-location push on Sept. 27, at venues in the Long Island, North Country, southern tier, Finger Lakes, and Western New York areas. While Soldiers and Airmen were aiding Western New Yorkers during the recent snow emergency, troops of the program held two events in Manhattan and taught 1,150 residents how to be better prepared for emergencies and disasters.

New Yorkers have always stepped up to help each other, and the program empowers them to be first responders for their loved ones and neighbors, Cuomo stressed when he launched the program. He reiterated these sentiments while touring snowstorm-affected areas in Western New York recently, saying that "Buffalo is also known as the city of good neighbors."

"But Buffalo is known for tenacity and Buffalo is known for dealing with adversity and overcoming, and this will be one of those situations," Cuomo said. "This is an opportunity to be a good neighbor. Check on people on your block; check on senior citizens on your block to make sure they have everything. You'll have people who have been homebound for three, four, or five days, and people may need assistance. So if you could take that responsibility yourself as a neighbor, check on your surrounding neighbors, stay home, let the first responders do their work, let us get the roads cleared."

Across the state, New Yorkers have greeted the Citizen Preparedness Corps Training Program with enthusiasm, applause, stories from their own experiences and preparedness advice.

"New Yorkers are acutely aware of the damage that frequent and severe storms inflict on communities across the state," Cuomo said in a press release ahead of the Sept. 27 events. The Citizen Preparedness Corps has equipped thousands of New Yorkers to respond better to emergencies and disasters, he emphasized.

Island Park Public Library is located at 176 Long Beach Road, Island Park, N.Y. Citizens should register for the event at www.dhses.ny.gov/aware-prepare/nysprepare/registration

Participants will receive a training certificate, a wallet-sized "Z-Card" with emergency preparedness information, and a free Citizen Preparedness Starter Kit (one per family). The kit includes a first-aid kit, face mask, pocket radio with batteries, food bars, emergency blanket and other key items to help citizens in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. The classes include information about what other supplies and items citizens should add to their kits.

For more information about the event, call the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs at 518-786-6186, or Master Sgt. Ray Drumsta at 518-786-6151.

For more information on the program and emergency preparedness, visit www.nyprepare.gov.