The city of Las Vegas is spreading the word about emergency preparedness by providing “tweets” via Twitter at http://twitter.com/clvalerts . This use of the social media tool Twitter is in conjunction with National Preparedness Month, which begins today. A new emergency preparedness tip will be supplied every day during the month via Twitter.

National Preparedness Month is a national effort designed to raise awareness about how important it is to be ready for any kind of emergency. The effort encourages all citizens and businesses to get prepared for a possible emergency by putting together an emergency kit, making a plan and staying informed.

“Being prepared in the event of an emergency is crucial to the success of response efforts, “said Carolyn Levering, manager of Emergency Management for the city of Las Vegas. “By adding another avenue through which to share this information, we hope to reach even more individuals within our community.”

The city uses a number of tools to help get emergency information out to the public, both for preparedness and during actual emergencies. Information is posted on the city’s dedicated emergency Web site http://www.lvalert.com as well as the city’s Web site www.lasvegasnevada.gov. During an emergency, information is also placed on an emergency hotline 38-Alert (382-5378). Information is also broadcast on the city’s award-winning government access television station KCLV Cox Cable Channel 2. In addition to broadcasting special alerts, KCLV also produces special programming about emergency preparedness, which can be found at www.kclv.tv. Individuals may also receive emergency communications from the city via text message by following CLVAlerts on Twitter .