Currently in the peak of tornado season, it’s important that everyone from the youngest citizens to adults learn about the importance of being prepared when severe weather strikes. Thursday, students at Carroll Academy learned about emergency disaster preparedness.
MEMA 4 Kids held a presentation at Carroll Academy at 1 p.m. Thursday. The program was coordinated by Carroll County Emergency Management and Civil Defense Director Ken Strachan. He said MEMA 4 Kids Program provides grades K-8 the information, tools, strategies, and the peace of mind needed to be fully disaster prepared. Students will be able to take the lead in showing their friends, family, and community how to stay safe in an emergency.
"The MEMA 4 Kids program is done throughout the state. We were honored for them to come to Carroll County today to be able to give a demonstration on emergency preparedness because it's so important to all us, every part of it, we look forward to a long relationship with MEMA," said Strachan.
Being in the peak of tornado season and with the heavy flooding the county sustained back in February, being weather aware is important even for children. Strachan said he began working with MEMA back in February to have the program brought to Carroll County.
He said 125 students participated in the program and were provided a MEMA activities book on emergency preparedness, with illustrations that were drawn by cartoonist Marshall Ramsey.
“Carroll County looks forward to a long relationship with providing information through activities and resources to help students, these programs are essential for them, and we will have more planned in the future,” Strachan said.
Billy Patrick, with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Office of Mitigation, Pearl and Jake the Mitigation Wizard visited with students and taught them how to become weather aware.
Students were given a book from MEMA, illustrated by Marshall Ramsey. Patrick did an interactive reading with the students where he read the story and asked them questions. After reading the story, the students received a surprise visit from Pearl and Jake the Mitigation Wizard.
Students also received a visit from emergency management and elected officials Mayor Pam Lee, Supervisor Claude Fluker, E911 Director George Gillespie, and Senator Lydia Chassaniol.
