Southern University Agricultural Center celebrates Emergency
Preparedness Month with seminars
Baton Rouge, LA – Benjamin Franklin said it best, “By
failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
In Louisiana, there’s always a need to be prepared for
natural disasters such as hurricanes and the occasional tornado and at the
Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center located in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, the Agricultural Center assures to prepare residents in Louisiana
during September which is National Preparedness Month.
National Preparedness Month or Emergency Preparedness
Month’s main objective is to bring awareness and inform residents on what needs
to be accomplished before, during and after natural disasters. These disasters
include wildfire, floods, tornadoes and earthquakes plus the negative
connotation that follows such as power outages, food shortages, and poor
evacuation planning.
In the Gulf Coast Region, mainly Louisiana, natural
disasters involve hurricanes and the massive destruction that comes with it;
examples from past destructive hurricanes such as Katrina, Rita and Gustav.
The most recent was a category one hurricane named Isaac and it encompassed Louisiana on August 28, 2012 but the 600,000 residents without power and minimal death total still provided the need for preparedness.
The program was jump started by a federal grant worth $5,000 from
the Office of Community Preparedness before Isaac’s inception.
Kelli Hollins, Family and Human Development FCS Parent
Educator and Program Assistant assured that this program is for everyone in
Louisiana and their wellness.
“This program is instituted in all 64 parishes and our focus
is on the safety of families,” said Hollins.
Hollins spoke on how the seminars are beneficial towards the
general public.
“These seminars target the reactions of natural disasters
because we cannot stop the natural disaster from happening but we can prevent
all negative reactions that go along with it.”
Since the grant money has been dispersed it has been the
responsibility of the SU Agricultural Center to increase the awareness of
Emergency Preparedness Month to the state at large.
Even though there has been a stint in natural disasters in
the state, Hollins concludes that the program is still necessary and beneficial
for the families residing in Louisiana.
“Having a slump in natural disasters makes people
uninterested in the program because they don’t have to be aware of the
situation at the time but this is why we are here; to inform you on how to prepare
for the worst case scenario,” finished Hollins.
The nation at large is asking for participation during this
month’s spread of events.
On September 20, 2015, two representatives from the SU Agricultural
Center will participate in the Department of Health and Hospital’s “Emergency
Preparedness Day" at the Cortana Mall, 9401 Cortana
Place, Baton Rouge, LA. The event, which will be held from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m., is being hosted as a way to inform the general
public of the Metro Baton Rouge area and the state at large upon the importance
of Emergency Preparedness Month.
To visit the Southern University Ag Center's Emergency Preparedness page visit, http://www.suagcenter.com/emergency-preparedness
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Article written
by Felix Cunningham III, SU Ag Center Intern.
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