Author: Laura Maggard
Major Program: Emergency Disaster Preparedness
In the winter of 2021, communities in Eastern Kentucky were devastated by flooding. Area Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) Extension Agents teamed together to help individuals get back on their feet. Whether it was with temporary fencing supplies or hay, farmers affected by the flood waters were taken care of. That following winter, the ANR Extension Agents in Lawrence and Clay County were invited by Community Farm Alliance to be speakers at the 2022 East KY Small Farm Conference at Jenny W
Author: Joshua Jackson
December 10th and 11th saw an extremely rare string of tornadoes go thru the bluegrass state. Over 74 lives were lost, and multiple counties were affected by this devastating outbreak. The resilience exhibited by Kentuckians and others that night and the following days was collected as an oral history and saved for future generations by the Louis B Nunn Center. Interviews were conducted with individuals that experienced the destruction caused by the tornado, the National Weather Service, agricul
Author: Jay Stone
On December 10, 2021, a violent tornado moved across Western Kentucky, producing severe to catastrophic damage in numerous towns, including Mayfield, Princeton, Dawson Springs, Barnsley and Bremen.[1] Crossing through eleven counties of the Jackson Purchase and Western Coal Field regions during its lifespan, the tornado was exceptionally long-tracked, traveling a total of 165.7 miles. It was the deadliest and longest-tracked tornado in an outbreak that produced numerous strong tornadoes in sever
Author: Thomas Miller
After several years of fruitless searches for a good location, the Ballard Mesonet Station is finally up and running. On May 13, 2022, officials from State Government and Local Government met at the site just south of Bandana, Ky to hold a grand opening. The search for a location started 8 years ago when Ballard ANR Agent Tom Miller and Rick Shanklin from Barkley Weather Service toured Ballard County looking for suitable locations. Nothing was found that suited all the location
Author: Jeremy Williams
Being prepared for life’s disasters, can help get us thru many storms. Learning to be prepared as a youth impacts you for a lifetime. The Harlan County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent and the Harlan County Emergency Management Director had the opportunity to share MyPI Kentucky’s 4-H Youth Preparedness Initiative program with 15 Harlan County High School students. These students applied to be accepted into the after-school program to learn more about disaste
Author: Evan Tate
Each year farm related injuries are documented, especially during times of harvest. Farmers, first responders and community members, even after being trained, still note that in times of panic forget the information needed to expedite a successful recovery of the victim.Hancock County Cooperative Extension, working alongside the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Kentucky Fire Commission and the Hancock County Farm Bureau devised a tool that can be applied to all grain bins, new and old to be u
Author: Timothy Estes
According to the United States Census of Ag, Hart county has doubled the amount of grain acres harvested from 2007 to 2017. With that acreage increase has came the increase in storage facilities (grain bins) in the county as well. What has not came is the rescue equipment required for grain bins in case of an emergency. On March 1st 2022, Hart County Extension, Ky Department of Ag, Hart County Emergency Management, and the Hart County Farm Bureau Federation partnere
Author: Robert Amburgey
The WARN program (weather awareness for a rural nation) is a program geared specifically toward the Amish community.The WARN project (Weather Awareness for a Rural Nation) is being developed in response to a tragic incident that occurred this past spring where an Amish mother attempted to cross a flooded low water crossing, loosing five children that were with her that evening. All of the material and programming is being specifically developed to educate the Amish population. The ma
