City of Madison hosting annual ReadyFest preparedness event

MADISON – “Be Prepared” is a Boy Scouts motto and Madison is taking it seriously this weekend.

The city is hosting ReadyFest, its annual preparedness event, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, at Discovery Middle School. 

The program centers on the FEMA Community Lifelines of Safety and Security, Food, Water, and Shelter, Health and Medical, Energy, Communications and Transportation. 

Madison City Councilmember Maura Wroblewski, the liaison to the program, said ReadyFest helps prepare for any weather event, personal crisis or hardship.  

“We’ve been impacted since 2019 with the COVID pandemic and more recently the week-long ice event that our city experienced,” said Wroblewski. “It is critically important for our families to be prepared should we have an area-wide weather event or a personal family event in which we need to work through a situation that may seem overwhelming.

“We have wonderful resources in our community where we can share information to be prepared in any event”. 

Madison Fire & Rescue Virtual Reality equipment will be on-site to demonstrate how to escape a burning building. A SARTEC K9 unit is also expected to be on hand for the event.  

“ReadyFest is an opportunity for everyone in our community, from the youngest to the oldest, to be prepared,” said Wroblewski. 

Madison Police will register women for the department’s Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes. Officers will also be available to discuss personal, family, and neighborhood security, according to organizers. 

The Public Works Department will be on site with its latest winter weather heavy equipment on display. Madison and Limestone County EMAs will have a Mobile Command Trailer on display. 

Additionally, Huntsville Hospital’s Mobile Medical Unit will be on site for health screenings as well as local mental health therapists to discuss mental health topics.

ReadyFest coincides with Alabama’s Weather Preparedness Weekend which begins 12:01 a.m. and ends midnight Sunday. The state’s 18th annual severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday allows shoppers the opportunity to purchase certain severe weather preparedness items free of state sales tax. Local sales tax may still apply.