CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 09/25/19

Georgia 4-H offers teens way to help during natural disasters

By Maria Sellers

The national My Preparedness Initiative (My PI) program provides students with extensive training to be better equipped in case of emergencies. In Georgia, the My PI program was funded by 4-H and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“Training young people with My PI helps an entire community because they go out and work with other families to get them prepared for disaster situations. It’s like a ripple effect,” said Jazmin Thomas, Dougherty County University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H agent and certified My PI Georgia instructor.

Dougherty, Bryan, Gordon, Haralson, Jackson, Morgan, Turner and Wilcox counties offered the program.

Georgia is no stranger to national disasters. Hurricane Michael hit the state hard in October 2018, Hurricane Irma struck in 2017, and hurricanes Matthew and Hermine were felt in 2016. A series of tornadoes also damaged south Georgia pecan production in 2017.

To graduate from the program, students must complete three steps: (1) complete FEMA-certified Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training; (2) gain CPR and automatic external defribrillator certification and learn about specialized technology and career tracks; and (3) complete Prep+6, which requires students to work with their families and six other households to compile supply kits and create emergency plans.

By participating in the Prep+6 part of the program, students could also serve as a resource for first responders in a time of disaster, according to Thomas.

“There may be a situation where there is a power line down and first responders can’t get to a community,” she said. “This would allow kids to help their neighbors until professionals arrive.”

Keri Hobbs, UGA Extension and 4-H specialist and My PI Georgia coordinator, says offering this training in different regions throughout Georgia allows students to be resources across the state.

“The My PI Georgia instructor teams and youth cohorts are distributed in order to serve as pockets throughout the state to offer a network of support in a time of need,” Hobbs said.

This strategy of distribution is also implemented at the national level. Since the states that offer a My PI program are widespread, it allows those resources to be scattered across the country.

Georgia’s program is slightly different from other participating states in that community volunteers help county Extension agents lead the trainings. This enables the program to reach more youth with emergency preparedness training and to form stronger community instructor teams, Hobbs said.

“We decided to team up our instructors with a volunteer so hopefully that community member could leverage even more people and resources that they have in their network,” she said.

My PI Georgia instructor and Gordon County 4-H Agent Allie Griner feels better prepared to be the first county to offer the program because of the program’s community volunteer, fire chief Doug Ralston, who brought access to additional professional expertise, facilities and contacts to the program.

“Because we had that partnership with the fire chief, it was easier to get off the ground,” Griner said. “It was exciting to be the first county to pioneer this program in Georgia, especially since emergency preparedness is so important.”

Georgia’s My PI program was recognized as the national winner of  the Citizenship for Youth Development award from the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. Georgia 4-H plans to continue offering the program in the future with a goal of graduating 125 students from the program this year.

“I think you will see a lot more from Georgia My PI instructor trainings once we get more funding, and we hope we can offer another one in coming years,” said Hobbs.

For more information about the My PI program and to read testimonials from teens who have completed the training, visit www.mypigeorgia.org. Follow them on Facebook at My PI Georgia.

Authors:
Maria Sellers
Experts/Sources:
Keri Gandy Hobbs
Allie Griner
Jazmin Thomas
My PI Georgia training in Haralson County included practicing putting fires out. My PI training included assistance from Dougherty County Extension 4-H Agent Jazmin Thomas.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
HurricaneHeleneGreenhouseDamageCropped CAES News
UGA Extension supports resilience in Georgia farm communities after Hurricane Helene 12/19/24 Emily Cabrera
Hurricane Helene wrought sweeping devastation across Georgia’s agricultural sector in late September, leaving an indelible mark on both the land and the people who tend it, bringing focus to vulnerabilities in Georgia’s farming industry and the need for more robust safety nets. In addition to the physical destruction, the hurricane took an emotional toll on Georgia’s farmers. In response, UGA Extension has prioritized mental health support.
Georgia Simmons at the office of U.S. Sen. Warnock CAES News
Georgia 4-H alum, CAES student spends semester serving at the nation's Capitol 12/03/24 Josie Smith, Cooper Hardy
Third-year University of Georgia student and Banks County 4-H alum Georgia Simmons has been in the center of the political action this fall with the Georgia 4-H Washington DC Intern Program. Simmons, an environmental resource science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, works in the office of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. As an intern on his staff, she interacts directly with policy experts and lawmakers, participating in the legislative process while earning a semester of credit hours.
Seth McAllister and farmer Mark Daniel discuss crop production and agritourism. CAES News
UGA Extension supports agritourism through expert advice and collaboration 10/24/24 Emily Cabrera
On a sunny day with bright-blue skies, I arrive at Mark’s Melon Patch in Sasser, Georgia, and immediately spot the familiar white University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pickup truck, the Terrell County Extension logo prominently displayed on the door. Seth McAllister, the Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Terrell County, greets me with a broad grin and a firm handshake. Terrell County alone has 60,000 acres of row crops, half in cotton. But what McAllister loves most about his role as an Extension agent is the diversity of his work.
Helenedamage web CAES News
Hurricane Helene: Preliminary damage assessment on Georgia agriculture and forestry industry 10/10/24 Claire S. Kinnard, Matthew Agvent
Today, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, in coordination with Governor Brian P. Kemp, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the Georgia Forestry Commission, announced the preliminary estimate of Hurricane Helene’s economic impact on Georgia agriculture is $6.46 billion. This figure represents the sum of direct crop losses, losses to businesses that support agriculture and forestry, losses to workers in those related industries, and estimated recovery and restoration costs that agricultural businesses will face.
Ropes course at Georgia 4-H camp CAES News
Campers create lasting memories of summer at Georgia's 4-H centers 10/07/24 Josie Smith
By the end of his first week at 4-H summer camp, fifth grader Cooper Hardy already had many memories of new and exciting experiences. “That was the first time I got in a canoe,” Hardy said. “It was a big deal for me.” Now, 10 years later, Hardy serves as a Georgia 4-H camp counselor at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia. It’s a dream he’s held since the first time he set foot on the sprawling, wooded 1,500-acre campus as a camper.
Caroline Hinton is the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA) CAES News
Director of experiential learning herds students toward new fields of education 10/02/24 Averi Caldwell
Caroline Hinton wants to foster a love of learning for all students who walk through her door. As the director of experiential learning for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Hinton helps students connect with their fields of study outside of the classroom. “I find joy and excitement in getting to watch students experience different parts of agriculture and find a place in our state’s own agriculture industry,” she said.