On April 3, 1974, an F5 tornado destroyed downtown Brandenburg and other parts of Meade County taking 31 lives.  As we approached the 50-year mark of the disaster, a lot of media attention and others interested in commemorating the event stirred up emotion for those who were impacted by the tornado.  We recognized as a community we had become lax in preparing for an emergency event.   To bring awareness to the importance of knowledge and preparedness in the event of a disaster, Meade County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, extension homemakers and emergency management, partnered together to host Disaster Preparedness Awareness.  This three-hour event featured 20 information booths and a panel discussion with questions from community members about a variety of emergency situations.   Panelist and booth participants included Emergency Management, E-911, Fire Department, Red Cross, Meade County Schools, the National Weather Service, Louisville Gas and Electric, Meade County Rural Electric Coop., Meade County Fire Department, Meade County Farm Bureau Insurance, and the City of Brandenburg Mayor.  Meade County Sheriff’s Department, Cecilian Bank, Lincoln Trail District Health Department, Meade County Addressing, Meade County Extension Homemakers, Meade County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, Extension Health and Wellness Ambassadors, Meade County Nutrition Education Program, Meade County 4H, Meade County Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources, and our local radio station WMMG.  Also present were local newspaper reporters who covered the event.  The radio station hosted live coverage and featured the panel discussion on their Facebook page with over 2000 views within four days.

Thanks to the generosity of area businesses and agencies, a variety of door prizes were given away including two disaster preparedness kits valued at $250.

Evaluations were collected and impact results will be added in the near future.