Describe the Issue or Situation.

According to the University Of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Community Needs Assessment from Fall 2023, community members listed "preparations for county wide disasters and/or climate impact as one of the top fifteen issues for the county. In 2022, many of our Eastern Kentucky counties dealt with a 100 year flood. In Knott County, 22 residents lost their lives as a result of the disaster.  Residents did not understand the alerts/warnings and went to bed that night instead of evacuating. Residents were also not prepared with items needed to survive a disaster. Many were in areas that you could not even get out to get anything as well as being without power or water.  With the climate change and future disasters, residents need to be more prepared for any type of disaster.  According to Matt Dixon, UK Ag Meteorologist, "Its not if we will have another event but when."

Describe the Outreach or Educational Program Response (and Partners, if applicable).

As a result of local needs, the County Extension Agents for Family and Consumer Sciences in Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Leslie, Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe counties, along with the Agent on Special Assignment for Community Response and Recovery, developed and hosted the first program in a three-part series entitled, Survive and Thrive: Disaster Preparedness.  The focus of this event was on preparing your home and family for disasters by learning about weather alerts/warnings, by creating a family disaster emergency plan, and by building home disaster kits. My role in this event was teaching the building a home disaster kit lesson.

Provide the Number and Description(s) of Participants/Target Audience.

Participants were recruited by marketing efforts in local newspapers, on local radio, Extension newsletters, and county office social media platforms. 32 participated in the program representing both youth and adults living in disaster impacted counties in Kentucky.

Provide a Statement of Outcomes or Program Impact. Please note that the outcomes statement must use evaluation data to describe the change(s) that occurred in individuals, groups, families, businesses, or in the community because of the program/outreach.

Following the event, participants completed evaluations. 100% of participants gained a better understanding of steps they could take in preparation for natural disasters. 100% of participants increased their understanding of how to find reliable resources on disaster preparation and/or response. Further, 100% of participants can better identify what items they should include in a disaster kit. Most importantly, 100% of participants reported they intended to assemble a disaster kit that fits their needs and 100% of participants shared they intend to create a disaster response plan. 

 Participants specifically shared the most significant things they learned from the event were, “Building an emergency kit is important,” and “Plan now for possibilities later.”