New Training Videos Educating New Yorkers on Emergency Preparedness Now Available in 13 Languages on YouTube
Citizen Preparedness Corps Initiative Has Trained More Than 359,000 New Yorkers Since 2014 to Prepare for Disasters in New York State
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York State Citizen Preparedness Corps program is now offering online training to New Yorkers in English and with subtitles for 12 additional languages. The Citizen Preparedness Corps was established in 2014 and is led by experts from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the New York National Guard and the American Red Cross. The program has provided training and resources to more than 359,000 New Yorkers, focused on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters and other emergency situations that could be experienced in New York State.
"By adding an online component to the Citizen Preparedness Corps program, we are bringing critical, life-saving information to a wider audience and ensuring that New Yorkers will be ready to respond to the disasters that may come our way,"Governor Hochul said."My top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe and that means giving them the tools they need to be the best-prepared citizens in the country."
New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, "Our number one job is to keep the public safe and the Citizen's Preparedness Corps plays a crucial role in those efforts. Already, more than 350,000 New Yorkers have received this training, and with the launch of this new, online multi-lingual initiative, we are helping ensure all New Yorkers — no matter what language they speak — have access to critical preparedness information.
Adjutant General of New York State, Major General Ray Shields said, "Since 2014, the Soldiers and Airmen of the New York National Guard have been proud of the role they play in educating New Yorkers on how to cope with disasters and then recover from them. We are happy to see that this training is now reaching a larger on-line audience."
The new online trainings are now available with English audio and subtitles in the following languages:
- Arabic
- Bengali
- Chinese
- English
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Italian
- Korean
- Polish
- Russian
- Spanish
- Urdu
- Yiddish
Last August, Governor Hochul announced in-person Citizen Preparedness Corps (CPC) trainings would resume throughout the state following a pause in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the CPC training course, New Yorkers are taught an all-hazards approach to preparedness, giving them skills that can be utilized in life-threatening situations, information on how to develop family emergency plans and the importance of stocking up on emergency supplies, and details on receiving notifications from sources such as the Emergency Alert System. New Yorkers are encouraged to register for NY-Alert, the State's free emergency alert system, by visiting alert.ny.gov.
The CPC training schedule for in-person courses and course registration is on the DHSES website here.
To request a Citizen Preparedness Corps training in your area, send an email to: [email protected].