COLLEGE STATION – In conjunction with the state’s Hurricane Preparedness Week this month, as well as other preparedness efforts, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is making Texans aware of its many disaster and emergency-related materials.
“With hurricane season approaching, AgriLife Extension is again reminding Texas residents of our various hurricane preparedness and recovery resources, including two recently added publications,” said Dr. Andy Vestal, AgriLife Extension director for homeland security and emergency management, Texas A&M University, College Station.
Hurricane preparation information related to farms and ranches is the topic of one of two new AgriLife Extension publications. The other publication provides information on hurricane preparation for households. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
Vestal said the two newest AgriLife Extension publications are specific to protecting households, farms and ranches.
The first publication, “Texans, Get Ready! Be Prepared to Survive a Disaster, ” explains how to protect a household during and immediately after a catastrophe by making a disaster plan and preparing a disaster kit.
“Special considerations in this five-page publication include keeping food safe to eat, sheltering-in-place and how to discuss a disaster with children,” said the publication’s co-author Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, AgriLife Extension specialist in family development and resource management, College Station.
The second publication, “Farmers and Ranchers, Get Ready! Protect Your Operation Before, During, and After a Disaster,” provides agricultural producers with information needed to prepare for weather-related and other emergencies by creating a disaster plan. Its contents address the steps farmers and ranchers need to take to protect people, animals, crops, machinery, feed, chemicals and the environment.
“If you have a plan of action, you can help preserve life and property, and minimize your recovery time,” said David Smith, publication author and AgriLife Extension program specialist, biological and agricultural engineering, College Station. “This short four-page publication can help you set priorities and plan for the unexpected.”
Vestal said both these new publications are available at no cost as a print download or in e-book format.
“These and other disaster preparedness and recovery materials offered through AgriLife Extension at no or low cost contain useful information provided by agency and other Texas A&M System experts, as well as experts from state and federal agencies, and from throughout the national land-grant university Extension system,” he said.
He added that these new materials and other hurricane preparation and recovery materials are also available in e-book format at the Texas Extension Disaster Education Network, or Texas EDEN website, http://texashelp.tamu.edu.
“The e-book option is to help provide just-in-time information to Texans, and we hope as many Texans as possible will take the opportunity to download this information to their mobile device so they can be ready now that hurricane season is on the horizon,” Vestal said.
A free emergency preparedness and recovery iPhone application is available at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/texas-eden/id562330404?mt=8. This application contains guides and fact sheets to help prepare for a disaster or emergency, plus information for recovery.
“Having this app installed prior to a disaster means recovery resources are available immediately when or if they are needed,” Vestal said. “The app also includes links to reputable organizations and resources that can help Texans prepare for or recover from a disaster.”
The two new publications and other disaster preparedness and recovery materials are also available for download from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Bookstore at https://agrilifebookstore.org/. For these and related publications, click on “Disasters and Emergencies” and then on “Preparedness” or “Recovery.”
Additional publications available online through the bookstore include the comprehensive 16-page “Preparing for the Unexpected,” which provides information individuals, families, businesses and communities with the steps needed to prepare for a possible disaster. This guide was developed to explain different types of disasters and suggest protective measures and sources for additional information.
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