Get Ready Day
September 15
About Get Ready Day
Get Ready Day is an annual public health observance held on the third Tuesday of September, falling on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. Organised by the American Public Health Association (APHA), the day encourages individuals, families, and communities across the United States to prepare for emergencies and disasters of all kinds, from hurricanes and floods to pandemics and power outages. It forms part of the wider National Preparedness Month campaign run throughout September.
What is Get Ready Day?
Get Ready Day is a nationwide awareness day dedicated to disaster and emergency preparedness. It is run by the American Public Health Association, the oldest and largest organisation of public health professionals in the United States, as the centrepiece of its long-running Get Ready campaign. The day exists to remind people that preparedness is not the sole responsibility of emergency services, and that simple steps taken at home, at work, and on campus can save lives when disaster strikes. It is aimed at everyone, with particular attention paid to groups who face greater risk during emergencies, including older adults, people living with disabilities, pregnant people, and families with young children.
When is Get Ready Day?
Get Ready Day takes place on the third Tuesday of September every year. In 2026 this falls on Tuesday, 15 September. Because the date is tied to the third Tuesday rather than a fixed calendar date, it shifts slightly each year. The timing is deliberate, placing the day in the middle of National Preparedness Month and ahead of the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, when readiness messaging is most relevant.
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday, 15 September |
| 2027 | Tuesday, 21 September |
| 2028 | Tuesday, 19 September |
| 2029 | Tuesday, 18 September |
| 2030 | Tuesday, 17 September |
Why Get Ready Day Matters
Disasters rarely give much warning, and the gap between an emergency striking and help arriving can stretch into days. Emergency planners commonly advise households to be able to look after themselves for at least 72 hours, yet surveys repeatedly show that many families have no plan and no supplies set aside. Get Ready Day tackles that readiness gap directly by turning a vague good intention into a concrete annual prompt to act.
The need has grown sharper over time. Billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the United States have become more frequent and more costly over the past two decades, and recent years have seen record numbers of such events. Add the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed how quickly everyday supplies and services can be disrupted, and the case for household preparedness becomes hard to ignore. Get Ready Day reframes preparedness as an achievable, low-cost habit rather than an overwhelming task, which is exactly why a single focused day can move people to finally build a kit or write a plan.
How to Get Involved in Get Ready Day
There are many ways to take part, whether you are an individual at home or an organisation reaching a wider community.
- Build an emergency kit – Assemble at least three days of water, non-perishable food, medications, a torch, batteries, and a first aid kit so your household can cope if services are cut off.
- Write a family emergency plan – Agree how you will contact each other, where you will meet, and who will collect children or pets if you are separated when an emergency hits.
- Host a preparedness event – Workplaces, schools, faith groups, and community centres can run a preparedness fair, set up an information booth, or invite a local emergency manager to speak.
- Sign up for local alerts – Register for your area’s emergency notification system so you receive warnings about severe weather, evacuations, and other hazards in real time.
- Plan for everyone in the household – Make specific provision for infants, older relatives, people with disabilities, and pets, whose needs are easy to overlook in a generic kit.
- Use APHA’s free resources – Download the Get Ready campaign’s fact sheets, checklists, and games, which are available in several languages and tailored to different audiences.
- Refresh what you already have – If you built a kit in a previous year, use the day to check expiry dates, swap out old water and food, and update phone numbers and documents.
- Spread the word online – Share preparedness tips with friends and family using the hashtag #GetReadyDay to turn your own actions into a prompt for others.
History of Get Ready Day
The American Public Health Association launched its Get Ready campaign in 2006, in the wake of events that had laid bare the gaps in America’s emergency readiness. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and mounting concern about a possible influenza pandemic had pushed disaster preparedness up the public health agenda, and APHA created Get Ready to give the public clear, practical guidance rooted in science.
Get Ready Day grew out of that campaign as a dedicated annual focal point. By anchoring it to the third Tuesday of September, APHA tied the observance to National Preparedness Month, the federal awareness initiative coordinated each September by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its Ready.gov programme. This alignment meant that public health messaging on Get Ready Day reinforced, rather than competed with, the broader national push for readiness.
Over the years the campaign has broadened its scope well beyond pandemic flu, covering hurricanes, floods, wildfires, extreme heat, and everyday emergencies. It has also placed growing emphasis on equity, recognising that disasters hit some communities harder than others and developing materials specifically for people with disabilities, older adults, and families with infants. What began as a response to two crises has become a steady annual reminder that preparedness is a shared, year-round responsibility.
Noteworthy Facts About Get Ready Day
- The Get Ready campaign was launched by APHA in 2006, making the initiative two decades old in 2026.
- APHA, founded in 1872, is the oldest and largest organisation of public health professionals in the world.
- Get Ready Day is timed to fall within National Preparedness Month, observed every September in the United States.
- Emergency planners commonly recommend households keep at least 72 hours, or three days, of supplies on hand.
- The campaign provides free, downloadable fact sheets and checklists in multiple languages aimed at different audiences and hazards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Get Ready Day?
Get Ready Day is an annual awareness day run by the American Public Health Association that encourages individuals, families, and communities to prepare for emergencies and disasters. It is the centrepiece of APHA’s Get Ready campaign and forms part of National Preparedness Month.
When is Get Ready Day in 2026?
Get Ready Day falls on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. It is always held on the third Tuesday of September, so the exact date changes from year to year.
Who organises Get Ready Day?
Get Ready Day is organised by the American Public Health Association (APHA) as part of its Get Ready campaign, which it launched in 2006. The day complements the federal National Preparedness Month coordinated by FEMA.
Spread the Word
Help raise awareness by sharing Get Ready Day with your friends, family, and followers. Use the hashtags #GetReadyDay and #GetReadyDay2026 on social media. The more people who take a few minutes to build a kit or write a plan, the more resilient our communities become when disaster strikes.
Related Awareness Days
- National Good Neighbor Day – Celebrates the community bonds that prove vital when neighbours look out for one another during emergencies.
- Balance Awareness Week – A September health observance that, like Get Ready Day, focuses on protecting people from avoidable harm.
- Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – Another September campaign built on the idea that prevention and early action save lives.
Links
2026 Awareness Days Wall Planner
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