Even when weather forecasters give the community a heads-up about a possible natural disaster, there is rarely enough time to prepare for what to do before, during and after the storm.
With that in mind, Juvenile Services (JS) recently offered a Life Skills class called “Natural Disasters: What’s in Your Go Bag?”
“Since we are facing the upcoming storm season, we thought it would be a great time to increase awareness for our young people,” said Laura Mason, JS community case manager. “We are pleased that 15 of our clients participated.
“They learned the differences between advisories, watches and warnings, and where to seek shelter. In addition, they heard suggestions about items that should be included in a go-bag, such as important documents, medication and even pet food.”
Class presenters were Sean Kelly, Barton County Emergency Management director, and Lindsey Ensley, Barton County Health Department clinical nursing supervisor.
“A big thank-you to both for volunteering their time and expertise,” Mason commented. “Their guidance helped the class understand how to respond to emergencies and the importance of being prepared.”
Presenters
Sean Kelly said his reasons for participating were “to engage with youth on how to identify natural disasters and what they can do before, during and after such events. We hope they gained practical skills such as making an emergency plan, understanding how to receive weather alerts and what to do about them, building a go-kit and planning how to evacuate if necessary.”
In addition, Kelly said, “we discussed ways to help others before and after a disaster, while educating the class about risks. This helps reduce panic and confusion. We hope they work on a plan at home and share information with others. This helps build a more resilient community.”
Kelly also noted that the “students were attentive and willing to interact when needed. I enjoyed the class and look forward to making another presentation in the future.”
Lindsey Ensley, who manages the Emergency Preparedness grant for the health department, wants to provide education to the community whenever she can.
“Since March 2-6 was Severe Weather Preparedness Week, this was a perfect time to educate these young people about ways to prepare for severe weather, build their preparedness kits, and understand advisories, watches and warnings.”
Ensley also noted that Life Skills is “a great program. It is sometimes difficult to reach teenagers with this kind of information. They were polite and attentive, and this was a great opportunity for emergency management and the health department to connect with them.”
Juvenile Services provided drawstring bags, along with laminated lists of recommended emergency supplies. The health department contributed miniature first-aid kits and travel-sized toothbrushes to include in go-bags. Emergency management provided forms for youth to complete and include with their important documents in the bags.
20th Judicial District Juvenile Services empowers youth in Barton, Rice, Ellsworth, Stafford and Russell counties to achieve positive outcomes by offering Juvenile Intake & Assessment, Immediate Intervention, Intensive Supervised Probation, Case Management, Journey to Change, Life Skills, All Stars and Youth Crew. Parents and guardians also are offered The Parent Project. Visit 1800 12th in Great Bend or call 620-793-1930.
