2004 NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE CONFERENCE

Award of Excellence Recipient

Award Category:  Outreach

Program Name: Community Disaster Education

Contact: Nicole Holtgrefe

Emergency Services Specialist

American Red Cross

St. Louis Area Chapter

10195 Corporate Square Dr.

St. Louis MO 63132

Phone:  (314) 516-2753

Fax:      (314) 516-2822

Email:   nholtgrefe@redcrossstl.org

The mission of the Community Disaster Education program of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter is to increase public awareness and educate the community in order to help people prevent, prepare for, and cope with disasters that may occur within the St. Louis Area Chapter's jurisdiction.

As part of its disaster education efforts, the St. Louis Area Chapter partners with many schools throughout its jurisdiction in order to provide students with valuable emergency preparedness information. There are two main earthquake preparedness programs that the St. Louis Area Chapter offers in elementary school settings. The first is "Be Ready 1-2-3 Earthquakes" and the second is "Disaster Dudes."

"Disaster Dudes" is a 45-minute program that is used with students in third and fourth grade. The program has a video that focuses on what a disaster really is, information on how to correctly respond to a disaster, and how to create a family disaster plan. After the video, the class discusses safety tips on what to do during an earthquake, a fire, and a tornado. Like the "Be Ready 1-2-3" program, "Disaster Dudes" was not developed at the St. Louis Area Chapter. However, the Chapter has molded the program to fit itsneeds by focusing on the three disasters that happen most frequently in the community.
  

The Organizing Committee of the 2004 National Earthquake Conference is doing business as the Western States Seismic Policy Council.