Ready Campaign Launches National PSA in Mandarin with Los Angeles Station LA 18 KSCI

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ad Council and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in an effort to reach a broader audience with the preparedness message of the national Ready campaign, released their "Don't Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Now" national public service advertisement (PSA) in Mandarin Chinese, the third most-spoken language in the United States.  The PSA, translated in collaboration with Los Angeles station LA 18 KSCI, is available immediately for broadcast and individual use.

Ready, a long-standing national outreach campaign to increase the level of preparedness across the nation also includes English and Spanish-language TV, radio, outdoor, print, and digital PSAs. Ready advocates four universal building blocks of preparedness and asks individuals to do four key things: (1) Build an emergency supply kit; (2) Make a family emergency communication plan; (3) Be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses; and (4) Take action by supporting community preparedness.

According to the latest Census Bureau Report, there are more than 2.9 million American residents who speak Chinese; the predominant dialect is Mandarin. The majority of Mandarin speakers live in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York – all cities at-risk for natural disasters and hazards.

The 30 second TV PSA in Mandarin will be aired on LA 18 KSCI, and on their sister stations KNLA-CD and KNET-CD.  The Ready website is available in 13 languages, including Mandarin. In addition, resources in Mandarin related to the El Niño severe weather hazards are available at www.fema.gov/zh-hans/el-nino.

"Our nation experiences some of the most extreme and dangerous weather in the world," said Region 9 Administrator Robert Fenton.  "We are committed to engaging all communities, in as many languages and mediums as possible, in preparedness.  FEMA reminds individuals that there are important things we all must do to be prepared, like make a family emergency communication plan, before severe weather or other dangerous conditions arise."

"Having these conversations about preparedness is really important and could have a big impact on our families' safety in the event of a disaster," added Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council.  "With LA 18-TV's support, our campaign is even more effective, and we can reach the Mandarin-speaking community with this important message."

Created pro bono by Chicago-based advertising agency Schafer Condon Carter, the Ready PSAs illustrate the importance of having a family plan in the event of an emergency. The PSAs depict real disaster moments and asks the question, "When is the right time to prepare?" The viewer is encouraged to develop a family emergency communication plan prior to a disaster striking through the message, "Don't wait. Communicate." The PSAs direct audiences to Ready.gov/communicate for tools and resources to help develop and practice a family emergency plan.

The PSA translated in Mandarin can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j71RRz_rX74&feature=youtu.be

"As the #1 Asian-language television station in the nation, informing and educating our viewers about critical issues is a very important part of our mission," said Dennis Davis, General Manager of LA 18 KSCI. "Partnering with the Ad Council to deliver in-language public service announcements for emergency preparedness gives the Chinese community a chance to make plans before disaster strikes. In the long run, we hope to provide translations in other Asian languages as well, including Korean and Tagalog."

Since launching in 2003, the Ready Campaign has received nearly $1.2 billion in donated media and helped to generate more than 93 million unique visitors to Ready.gov. For more information visit Ready.gov/communicate or follow the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

Federal Emergency Management Agency 
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Ad Council 
The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.

LA 18 KSCI
LA 18 KSCI is the nation's #1 Asian‐language TV station bringing news and entertainment, in multiple languages to Los Angeles, the largest U.S. Asian market – composed of nearly 2.5 million Asian consumers. LA 18 produces and airs 9 local news and variety shows in Chinese, Korean, and Tagalog. LA 18's over‐the‐air signal covers 5.6 million TV households in the Los Angeles DMA.

SOURCE The Ad Council

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