The Obama administration has taken a keen interest in making sure that American citizens and businesses are prepared for surviving and recovering from natural disasters. Together with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the White House on Monday kicked off America’s PrepareAthon!, a national campaign designed to build awareness this spring about tornadoes, wildfires, floods and hurricanes, and to help people prepare for them through a series of drills, discussions and exercises.

The PrepareAthon! campaign is dictated under President Obama’s “Presidential Policy Directive 8: National Preparedness.” The campaign, which aims to inform and encourage people to take action, will hold its first National Day of Action on April 30.

Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs, is proud of the work that the dairy industry has done in preparation for emergencies. As co-chair of the Food and Agricultural Sector Coordinating Council, a presidentially mandated partnership between government and the private sector, Detlefsen recently shared with federal government partners the readiness activities already underway in dairy.

“The dairy industry has been very proactive in our crisis preparedness, whether it’s guarding against a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak or other catastrophic events. IDFA, Dairy Management Inc. and the National Milk Producers Federation are playing key roles in helping members in areas prone to these types of disasters to be vigilant and well prepared,” Detlefsen said. “Our members have a long history of taking action and being prepared. Now we’re letting the White House know that we’re on top of it and fully supporting these new efforts.”

IDFA encourages member company employees and their families to register to participate in America’s PrepareAthon! at www.ready.gov/prepare. A list of guides, activities and customizable resources are available for different regions of the country. The campaign also plans to launch a variety of digital events in the next few weeks.

For more information, contact Detlefsen at cdetlefsen@idfa.org.