Preparing for Disasters: Free Workshops to Get Ready

This summer and fall, thousands of people across the country are getting ready for when disaster strikes, learning how to make a plan, pack an emergency bag, and more at free disaster preparedness and resilience workshops offered through United We Prepare, a national disaster preparedness initiative led by United Way Worldwide and supported by Verizon.

The workshops are a key component of the program, which aims to build disaster-resilient communities by providing practical emergency tools, educational workshops, and community-specific training to help individuals and non-profits prepare for disasters. 

Over 95% of U.S. residents live in a county that has experienced a major disaster in the last 15 years according to Rebuild By Design. The program, created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in response to Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, also found every $1 invested in pre-storm adaptation and disaster prep can save $11. 

Launched last year, United We Prepare held 170 events, gave out more than 14,000 preparedness kits, and served more than 40,000 people. 

This year promises to be even bigger as it expands to serve 18 communities across 10 states, including the many of the nation's largest metropolitan areas — New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, Boston, and Miami.  

In 2026, the program adds the state of West Virginia, Buffalo, Chicago and Inland Southern California. 

Find your preparedness program

For those who can't get to workshop or live in an area outside the participating programs, the United We Prepare website offers tips and resources, including easy ways to get started. 

How to prepare for disaster: 5 simple steps

What happens at a disaster workshop?

Workshops are tailored to community needs and designed to address disasters most common in the area — from preparing for hurricanes on the Gulf Coast to being ready for wildfires in California to dealing with heat in Phoenix, Miami and Boston.

United We Prepare events can have different names — kit distributions, resilience workshops, or disaster preparation clinics — but the goals are the same: helping individuals and communities prepare for disasters before they strike, offering practical tools, clear plans, and the confidence that comes from being ready for the unexpected.

In Houston, the workshops begin July 24 and will be held across Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Waller counties. The goal is to equip residents, particularly those in high-risk areas, with essential knowledge and resources to prepare for unexpected disasters. In Houston-area workshops, participants can:

• Build a personal or household disaster plan
• Learn what to pack in your preparedness kit
• Speak one-on-one with disaster experts
• Receive preparedness materials and support tailored to your needs
• Connect with local emergency management officials and nonprofit service providers
• Get a free personal preparedness kit 

Last year, United Way of Greater Houston hosted 8 preparedness clinics and 11 workshops in partnership with eight local nonprofits, providing educational materials and supplies to 5,902 participants. 

“This was the first time I ever made a plan for my family," one workshop participant said. “Now I know what to do.”

Getting a Go-Bag Ready

In Napa Valley, Calif., disasters like wildfires and floods aren't distant threats — they are a recurring reality.

“I evacuated four times,” said one woman at a preparedness event last year. “After each evacuation, I thought, okay, I need to prepare myself for if there is another one.”

Like many of her neighbors, she had to quickly leave her home and did not have an emergency kit ready to go. 

As another attendee put it, “I do not feel prepared… especially with the fires that happened not long ago. It's scary, and that's why I'm here.”

The preparedness workshop, organized by United Way Bay Area in partnership with Crosswalk Community Church and the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region, brought together more than 50 volunteers. 

They learned tips to be disaster-ready and helped assemble 520 emergency preparedness kits — complete with go bags, emergency numbers, and preparedness information. 

For the woman who had evacuated four times, the finished kit was a turning point in her preparedness journey. 

“This is amazing — a bag, and the emergency numbers, and all this information,” she said.

Watch the full video.