City encourages families to get Storm Ready at Emergency Preparedness Night with the Rise

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The City of Grand Rapids Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is partnering with the Grand Rapids Rise to host Emergency Preparedness Night on Wednesday, March 25, at Van Andel Arena. The event will help families and community members learn simple steps to stay safe during emergencies while enjoying a night of professional women’s volleyball.

Michigan has recently experienced rounds of severe weather, including strong winds, heavy rain with flash floods and early‑season tornado activity. With more spring storms expected, OEM hopes the event will encourage residents to get prepared before the next major weather system arrives. This effort also builds on the strong turnout at January’s Emergency Preparedness Night with the Grand Rapids Griffins, where hundreds of families signed up for emergency alerts, received preparedness resources and learned about steps they can take to be ready for emergencies.

“As we head into another season of severe weather, one of the most important safety steps anyone can take is signing up for Grand Rapids emergency alerts,” said Emergency Management Administrator Benjamin Rance. “These alerts help you stay aware and give you time to act when every minute matters. You can sign up in minutes at grandrapidsmi.gov/EmergencyAlerts. Together, we’re building a stronger, safer and more prepared Grand Rapids, on and off the court.”

The Rise, a women’s professional volleyball team, represents strength, leadership, and teamwork, values that also matter when preparing for severe weather, power outages, and other unexpected emergencies. Emergency Preparedness Night will help parents, caregivers, mentors, coaches and community leaders learn how to build a family plan, start an emergency kit and stay informed.

The first 150 families will receive free starter emergency kits. Fans can also enter raffles for full‑size emergency preparedness backpacks, enjoy T‑shirt giveaways and sign up for emergency alerts right from their seats.

If you can’t make it to the game but still want to be prepared, residents can sign up for Grand Rapids emergency alerts at grandrapidsmi.gov/EmergencyAlerts. Tickets to the March 25 Rise game are available HERE.