On April 3, 1974, an F5 tornado destroyed downtown Brandenburg and other parts of Meade County taking 31 lives. Meade County's location along the Ohio River makes it a frequent target for natural disasters especially tornados and flooding. 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 14 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, Louisville Gas and Electric, Meade County Rural Electric Coop.,  Meade County Sheriff’s Department, Cecilian Bank, Meade County Addressing, Meade County Extension Homemakers, Meade County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, Extension Health and Wellness Ambassadors, Meade County 4H, Meade County Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources, and online radio WVIH.  Also present were local newspaper reporters who covered the event.  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.  Over 100 people attended the event.

A written evaluation was completed by 43 participants.  Of the participants,. 100% indicated they have a better understanding of what to include in an emergency preparedness kit and how to update a family disaster kit.  98% felt they had a better understanding of how to act in the event of a disaster and local agencies/entities' role in responding to a disaster.  98% also indicated they plan to share information with others in the future.  Comments were positive and reflected appreciation for the event and service to the community.

The week following the event, an F1 tornado crossed over 15 miles of the county uprooting trees, damaging houses and downing power lines creating power outages.  The FCS agent received a few calls about food safety.  One caller reflected she thought she was prepared and knew what to do until it happened then she realized she could have been better prepared.