September is National Preparedness month and with the increasing occurrence of major natural disasters in Kentucky, Danielle Hagler, Nelson County Cooperative Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences coordinated a disaster ready resource fair in Nelson County.  Leading up to the event, social media post from FEMA’s Ready campaign were shared on the Nelson County Extension social media site, with a reach of around 1,000 people. Fifteen community partners came together for the Nelson Ready- Disaster Readiness Expo on September 27, 2022, to assist the community in preparing, responding and recovering from emergencies.

At the event, the community partners set up booths to distribute information and resources to the community.   Setting up informational booths were:

1. Nelson County Cooperative Extension
2. Emergency Services
3. Dispatch
4. Fire Department
5. Local Radio Station
6. Red Cross
7. County Clerk
8. Raising Hope- Suicide Awareness
9. Community Low Income Health Clinic
10. UK Ag Weather Center
11. West KY 4-H Camp
12. KHBE/Kipda
13. Local Historian
14. Sister Of Charity
15. KY National Guard

Speakers provided educational talks throughout the event, including:

1. Disaster Ready in Agriculture- Robbie Smith UK CES Agent For Ag & Natural Resources
2. The History of Disasters in Nelson Co. - Dixie Hibbs, Local Historian
3. START TRIAGE MCI- Nelson Co. Emergency Services
4. Lessons Learned During Dawson Springs, KY Tornado Response Efforts- Nicole Blanzy, West KY 4-H Camp Director
5. Disasters in KY: Past, Present & Future- Matt Dixson, UK Ag Weather Center
6. Why You Should Have SMART 911- Shawn Gaither, Nelson County Dispatch
7. Stocking Your Emergency Pantry -Danielle Hagler, UK CES Agent for Family & Consumer Sciences

The community partners who responded to a follow up questionnaire indicated that the event helped connect attendees to resources that helped them be more prepared to prepare, respond and recover from emergencies. Nelson County dispatch noted that participants learned about the Smart911 service at the event and had signed up after attending the event.  Many of the community partners attended the talks from other presenters and noted learning new information that would help them in their roles.  

Over 60 individuals attended the event.  The first 20 households received emergency kits, and two families were drawn to receive weather radios.  Participants who responded to a follow up questionnaire indicated the event helped them become more prepared for emergencies and helped them connect with resources that helped them be more prepared to respond and recover from emergencies.  One participant indicated that they connected with the Red Cross and had scheduled a time for the Red Cross to inspect their household smoke detectors and to install new ones.  A Head Start Director who attended, indicated that she planned to use the information gained to educate Head Start families on how to become more prepared in their homes. Several attendees noted that they increased their knowledge of food safety during an emergency and that they were making plans to improve or begin an emergency food pantry.  One attendee noted that as a result of attending, they now plan to keep documents in a safe, portable location.

As a result of the success of this event, plans are being made to hold the event every other year.