The Lawrence County Extension Office collaborated to address the immediate need for help with flood and ice storm relief and education after a devastating few weeks of inclement weather and a declared state of emergency in Lawrence County. The Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Agent, Agriculture and Natural Recourses (ANR) Agent, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Senior Assistant, and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Senior Assistant all collaborated in order to address the county’s timely needs. 

Through the collaborative efforts the Lawrence County Extension Office staff was able to reach individuals and families in a variety of ways including, virtual post/education updates, program to go kits, fencing and hay for farmers who suffered loss form the flooding following the ice storms, and through support by being a reliable research based resource. 

One major impact was through the educational updates that were made virtually. The FCS Agent was able to reach 72,497 people through updates on food safety during a power outage, an update that also had 5,241 engagements and 895 shares. 

Another success can be noted form the Emergency Preparedness Kits that were available for pick up at the Lawrence County Extension Office. The following data was collected from these kits: 

12 Individuals picked up emergency preparation kits from our office in the program to go. 

17 people completed our survey about emergency preparedness.  

Did you experience a power and/or water outage during the Lawrence County Winter Weather state of emergency? 

• Only Power Outage: 59% 
• Both power and water outage: 41% 
• Only water outage: 0% 
• Neither: 0% 

What emergency plans do you have in place?
 Emergency plans in place for:  

• None: 4% 
• Fire: 65% 
• Ice Storm: 59% 
• Tornado: 35%  
• Flood: 18% 
• Earthquake: 12% 

Did you have a Garden or farm effected by ice and/or flooding? 

• Yes: 1% 
• No: 71% 
• I do not have a farm and/or garden: 28% 

Did you have to discard any food due to the power outage and/or flooding? 

• Yes: 83% 
• No: 17% 

How did you decide what food to keep? 

• “Only kept canned goods” 
• “Followed the list the Extension office posted on Facebook” 
• “I always toss it when it’s been sitting with no electricity for 5 days. Because everything got warm after 2 days in refrigerator/ top of refrigerator freezer I threw it out.” 

What could your community and/or Extension do to help you after flooding and/or inclement weather? 

• “Help knowing where to find help.”

This collected data will be used for future program planning to continue to address the community needs. The Lawrence county Extension Office staff will continue to offer programing and information about safety in emergencies to families and individuals of the Lawrence County Community.