As we enter week three of National Emergency Preparedness Month, the focus turns to making sure the youngest among us are ready for disasters.

Dallas County Emergency Management Coordinator A.J. Seely says this week’s theme is “Youth Preparedness,” which can be a touchy subject. “Youth preparedness can be kind of difficult to discuss sometimes, because we don’t want to scare children into having anxiety or anything over some of the hazards that we face. But we want to inform them that they are possibilities, and then show them that we take these actions so that we don’t have to be as worried about them. It’s that reassurance that, ‘Well, a fire might happen. But we know that we have smoke detectors that are going to alert us and the batteries are good, and we test them on a monthly basis, and we know where we’re going to go once we get outside the house.’”

Seely also says it’s a good idea to teach your children how and when to dial 911, and to have an up-to-date emergency contact sheet at their daycare or school that also includes allergies and medications. To learn more about National Emergency Preparedness Month, click the link below to listen to the Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Seely.

https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2019/09/03/lets-talk-dallas-county-9-3-2019-a-j-seely/