Superfund Event to Encourage Aggies to ‘Plan Ahead, Be Prepared’
In honor of Disaster Preparedness Month in September, the Texas A&M Superfund Research Center‘s “Plan Ahead, Be Prepared” event will bring together members of the emergency response community to share with students, faculty, and staff valuable tips on planning ahead.
“Plan Ahead Be Prepared” will be held on Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Rudder Plaza, during which members of the Texas A&M community can learn from at least 11 different area organizations tips on being prepared for a variety of hazards related to natural disasters.
In addition to the Superfund Research Center, participating organizations include the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team, Environmental Health and Safety, Institute for Sustainable Communities, and School of Public Health; Texas A&M Emergency Preparedness and Brazos Valley CEOC; Harris County Public Health; the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health; the National Weather Service/NOAA; Jasper, Newton, and Sabine offices of emergency management; the American Red Cross; FEMA—Floodplain; the Brazos County Health Department; the American Society of Safety Engineers; Texas Task Force 1; and the United Way of the Brazos Valley.
Each organization will have informational tables at which team members will discuss their efforts related to disaster preparedness and tips to help Aggies prepare in all capacities—protecting their homes, families, and pets—in the event of an emergency.
“We believe it is important to educate the public on the hazards related to those events,” said Judlyn Telesford-Checkley, Superfund Center administrator. “The ultimate message is awareness and preparation: know the potential hazards and take the necessary steps to protect yourself against them. Being prepared can make the difference between life and death.”
The “Plan Ahead, Be Prepared” event is free and open to the public.
The Texas A&M Superfund Research Center is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences-funded program comprising researchers from across the Texas A&M campus and several other academic centers that aims to comprehensively evaluate hazards of exposures to chemical mixtures and potential adverse health impacts to those affected by natural disasters, such as hurricanes. A goal of the center is to develop better, faster, more informative tools that can aid in decision-making for planning and response to environmental contamination events.
For more information, contact Telesford-Checkley at jtelesford-checkley@cvm.tamu.edu or 979-862-4063.
