Larimer County commissioners on Tuesday approved a proclamation declaring September 2025 Emergency Preparedness Month and received briefings from the county Office of Emergency Management on outreach, workshops and a resilience survey.

Office of Emergency Management Director Laurie Hodges said preparedness remains important even after recent wet weather and that public action is essential to reduce harm. "We can send out all the alerts. We can give people information. We can give them resources. But if they don't act on that, then, we're not gonna be able to prevent harm in our community," Hodges said.

Why it matters: County officials said that the region remains subject to weather-driven hazards — including floods and wildfires — and emphasized public awareness, local workshops, signups for emergency alerts and a resilience survey intended to help tailor outreach.

Program details: Emergency management coordinator Ricardo Perez described a package of community activities for September: about 20–23 public preparedness classes and workshops annually (hosted at libraries, county facilities and community sites), roughly two dozen outreach events in recent years, and the county’s partnership with Canvas Credit Union Foundation to present the Northern Colorado Hero Fest on Sept. 13 at Front Range Village Center (10 a.m.–2 p.m.). Perez also pointed listeners to larimer.gov/emergency for signups and noted the county’s bilingual (English/Spanish) preparedness materials.

Board discussion and action: Commissioner Jody Shattuck McNally read the proclamation and moved adoption. The Board voted 3-0 to approve the Emergency Preparedness Month proclamation.

What to watch next: Emergency management staff said the county will continue workshops and outreach beyond September and encouraged residents to sign up for local emergency alerts at nocoalert.org and to complete the county’s resilience survey to inform future outreach.