The 91视频鈥檚 Office of Emergency Management (OEM) recently hosted a hurricane preparedness event at Student Center South, joined by Fire & Life Safety and meteorologist Dan Reilly of Reilly Weather. The event aimed to educate the campus community on how to stay safe before, during, and after a hurricane.
鈥淥ur main goal was to spread awareness of the hurricane season and the hazards that are associated with hurricanes,鈥� said Maia Solomon, Emergency Management Specialist at OEM. 鈥淲e always share three steps of preparedness: making a plan, building an emergency kit, and staying informed.鈥�
Solomon and Ginger Walker, Director of Emergency Management, engaged with students鈥攎any of whom were new to Houston and unfamiliar with hurricane risks. They encouraged interested students to enroll in Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, offered by OEM and Fire & Life Safety. This training equips individuals to respond to mass casualty incidents when first responders are unavailable.
To draw attention, OEM hosted a bean bag toss game. Winners received clear waterproof bags鈥攊deal for storing vital documents during severe weather or for a day at the beach.
Fire & Life Safety supported OEM鈥檚 message by emphasizing the importance of knowing building exits. Deputy Fire Marshals Sara Alexander and Ernest Johnson shared life-saving tips with attendees.
鈥淜nowing more than one exit in every building that you visit鈥攐n and off campus鈥攃an save your life in the event of an emergency,鈥� said Alexander. 鈥淲hat would you do if the way you came in was blocked, there was a fire at that exit, or a storm blew a tree over and the door could no longer be opened?鈥�
Alexander and Johnson also answered questions from students who had experienced fire emergencies and wanted to learn what they could have done differently.
鈥淣o fire is too small for the fire department to help with,鈥� Alexander added.
Meteorologist Dan Reilly stressed the importance of following trusted sources for weather updates.