• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, September 1, 2015

“Don’t Wait. Communicate.” That’s the tagline of a just-launched new series of PSAs from the Ad Council and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) —created pro bono by Chicago ad agency Schafer Condon Carter--to encourage families to develop an emergency communication plan before a disaster occurs.

The new campaign comes at the start of the 12th annual National Preparedness Month and just after the recent 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina which struck New Orleans with devastating effect.

The new campaign includes English and Spanish-language TV, radio, outdoor, print and digital PSAs. The messages illustrate the importance of having a family plan in the event of an emergency. The PSAs direct audiences to Ready.gov/communicate for tools and resources to help develop and practice a family emergency communication plan.

David Selby, President and Managing Partner of SCC, said, “This new campaign provides powerful imagery and a critically important call-to-action that we hope will cause individuals and families to pay attention, lean in and, ultimately, take action.”

One of the new campaign spots can be seen here.

“Through the Ready campaign, we’ve made a lot of progress educating and empowering Americans to prepare for all types of emergencies but there are still so many families that don’t have a plan, said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. “Having these conversations is really important and can have a big impact on our families’ safety in the event of a disaster.”

Localized television and radio PSAs were created and will be available for 27 states, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington D.C., and New York City as part of an ongoing collaboration with state and local emergency management partners.