The Bills National Football League team partnered with FEMA’s Ready Campaign on two new public service announcements to encourage people to know their risks and make a disaster plan with family and friends and to build an emergency supply kit.
Billy Buffalo, the Bills’ mascot, appears in the announcements with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, urging emergency preparation.
“As a football fan, I am thrilled to collaborate with the NFL and Buffalo Bills to help ensure that people in Buffalo and across the nation are prepared when a disaster strikes,” Criswell says. “Players and fans alike know exactly how to prepare when it comes to a big game or hosting a tailgate, and those skills — thinking ahead, gathering supplies and bringing together your community — are the same skills used to plan for disasters.”
In a video filmed at the Bills’ Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, Criswell and Billy Buffalo praise the Buffalo, N.Y., community for its resilience during the December 2022 snowstorm, a message that will be highlighted at this weekend’s home game. The announcement delivers the message that disasters can and do happen at any time.
“This year the nation has seen increasingly frequent and severe weather events, from wildfires out west to extreme winter weather in the Northeast,” Criswell says. “These disasters can happen anytime and happen anywhere. That’s why I encourage everyone to visit ready.gov or listo.gov to learn more about what to do before a disaster strikes.”
