FEMA At The Fair
Release Date: September 26, 2006
Release Number: 1604-447
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BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippi citizens get a chance to learn about disaster preparedness at their state fair Oct. 4-15 at the Fairgrounds Complex in Jackson.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency joined the ranks of exhibitors at last year's State Fair in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and is participating again this year.
"Exhibitions like the State Fair are a wonderful venue to get the word out about preparedness and mitigation," said Nick Russo, federal coordinating officer for the Mississippi recovery. "People have a need to know and with Katrina still fresh in our minds they are more aware of that need."
The FEMA booth will be staffed and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays of the fair (except opening night, Wednesday, Oct. 4, when the hours will be 5 to 8 p.m.) and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Saturdays and Sundays that the fair is open (except closing day, Sunday, Oct. 15, when the hours will be 10 a.m. to approximately noon).
FEMA's displays at the fair will include a model house built to showcase mitigation techniques to better withstand weather disasters. A 30-minute demonstration of the model, which is reinforced in several ways including thicker struts and joists and larger bolts, has been scheduled every two hours.
Other displays and demonstrations include a slide show on what to look for in purchasing a home or property in coastal areas that are at risk from hurricanes, preparedness and mitigation brochures and CDs, activity books for children and FEMA publications.
Coincidentally, October is Fire Prevention Month. FEMA will have fire prevention brochures from its sister agency, the U.S. Fire Administration, available at the fair. These brochures will also be available to firefighters for their Stop-Drop-and-Roll fire safety program.
The fair's Jackson location also will help FEMA fill a previously-identified need. "We've had several requests for recovery information from evacuees who are living in and around Jackson because they can't yet return to their homes along the coast," said Elizabeth Floyd, special projects coordinator for the Community Outreach Section in the state/federal Transitional Recovery Office in Biloxi. "Our presence at the fair provides a perfect opportunity to reach those people where they now are."
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, works with state and local emergency managers and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 31, 2003.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 26-Sep-2006 10:34:44