[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 49893-49894]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19325]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 49893]]


                Proclamation 10244 of August 31, 2021

                
National Preparedness Month, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In the past year, our Nation has faced both 
                unpredictable and unprecedented challenges. The 2020 
                hurricane season was the most active on record. Severe 
                winter storms and record-breaking heat waves 
                interrupted our power sector, and the climate crisis 
                fueled historic drought, water scarcity, and dangerous 
                heat waves, which in turn have helped supercharge the 
                wildfires ravaging the West. All of this has come on 
                top of the ongoing pain and struggle of COVID-19, which 
                has impacted every community across the Nation. 
                Becoming more disaster-resilient as a country--and more 
                prepared as a people--is essential for our continued 
                strength and security. During National Preparedness 
                Month, we encourage all Americans to take the important 
                steps to prepare for natural and human-made threats and 
                to ensure that all our communities are ready for any 
                emergency.

                My Administration is committed to taking bold action to 
                prepare for and address the dangers posed by climate 
                change. We have put the climate crisis and the 
                communities most vulnerable to it at the center of our 
                domestic and foreign policy. We are investing in 
                weather forecasting and climate research to strengthen 
                our understanding of how our changing climate is 
                altering severe weather and drought, and we are 
                ensuring that every community has the resources to 
                prepare for and respond to these increasingly dangerous 
                storms. We are also investing in helping developing 
                nations adapt and build their own resilience in the 
                face of climate change.

                At home, we are making a once-in-a-generation 
                investment in upgrading our infrastructure so that it 
                is more resilient to the challenges of today, and we 
                are mitigating climate change by building up an 
                American-made clean power economy for tomorrow. That is 
                why I am committed to making a historic commitment to 
                resilience through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal 
                to upgrade and modernize our power grid, invest in mass 
                transit and vehicle electrification, and fund 
                environmental cleanup.

                I am also rallying the world to join the United States 
                in committing to greater climate ambition. The United 
                States has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, and we 
                are leading the charge for stronger global action to 
                cut greenhouse gas pollution and avert the worst 
                impacts of climate change while we still have the 
                chance. The United States is leading by example and 
                creating good, high-paying jobs in the process by 
                harnessing the economic opportunities of climate 
                action.

                As we prepare for natural disasters and address the 
                accelerating climate crisis, we must also remain 
                vigilant to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious 
                disease threats, including the COVID-19 pandemic and 
                threats that will arise in the future. Even as more 
                than 174 million Americans have been fully vaccinated--
                with hundreds of thousands continuing to get vaccinated 
                each day--the more transmissible Delta variant is 
                spreading, particularly among unvaccinated individuals. 
                I continue to call on Americans to protect themselves 
                and those around them by getting vaccinated. The 
                vaccines are safe. They are effective. And together, we 
                can save lives.

                The theme of this year's National Preparedness Month is 
                ``Prepare to Protect.'' During the past year, natural 
                disasters have sent our communities into

[[Page 49894]]

                turmoil, and we have seen the particularly devastating 
                toll they take on disadvantaged, low-income communities 
                and people of color. Beyond the physical damage done by 
                natural disasters, these storms also exact an emotional 
                toll on their victims, from the pain of losing a loved 
                one to the pressure caused by financial setbacks. 
                Therefore, we must all prepare to better protect 
                ourselves and our communities against both immediate 
                crises and their residual effects.

                During National Preparedness Month, we also recognize 
                the bravery and the sacrifices of our first responders, 
                who are our first line of defense in so many crises. 
                This month, as we prepare to commemorate the 20th 
                anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks of 
                September 11, 2001, we honor the lives that were lost 
                and the heroism that was displayed by both first 
                responders and ordinary citizens to respond, and we 
                reaffirm our responsibility to never forget.

                This month, we must each do our part--we must all 
                Prepare to Protect. I call on everyone to get 
                vaccinated, turn on emergency alerts on your 
                smartphone, pack an emergency go-bag, and encourage 
                others in your community to do the same.

                For assistance in getting prepared, visit the Federal 
                Emergency Management Agency's Ready campaign at 
                www.Ready.gov or www.Listo.gov for Spanish-speakers for 
                free information and resources to help you and your 
                family ``Prepare to Protect.''

                National Preparedness Month is a call to action to all 
                parts of our government, industrial and commercial 
                sectors, academia, non-governmental organizations, 
                civic groups, religious institutions, and families. By 
                working together today, we can ensure that our Nation 
                is prepared for the natural and human-made threats of 
                tomorrow.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2021 
                as National Preparedness Month. I encourage all 
                Americans to recognize the importance of preparedness 
                and work together to enhance our resilience and 
                readiness.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-19325
Filed 9-2-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P