In honor of National Preparedness Month, NSU’s Emergency Preparedness Panel will host a discussion on ways the NSU community can prepare for storm disasters, in lieu of Hurricane Ericka, on Sept. 28 in the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship Knight Auditorium from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
To avoid a situation in which students, especially those from out-of-state, are unprepared for such emergency situations, the university created the Emergency Preparedness Panel to discuss procedures in case of a threat and to inform students of the proper way to handle an emergency.
Megan Foley, event coordinator and member of NSU’s Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness, said the information given at the event is important to students because the campus is located in a high-risk environment.
“South Florida has had to recover from many hurricane hits, despite the fact that we have been lucky in the past few years,” Foley said. “The panel will discuss all possible scenarios and solutions.”
Foley said the panel is especially concerned with residential students in the event of a disaster because they must be adequately sheltered.
“Students should be aware of potential storms and have a plan in the event of an emergency,” Foley said.
Within the last five years, South Florida has been fortunate enough to not have experienced any sort of natural disasters; however, abundant rain and unpredictable lightning and thunder have made it essential to take the necessary precautions to prevent any sort of damage.
Pavan Tilokani, sophomore business administration major said, “When a disaster hits, my number-one priority is safety, and I want to make sure my parents are comfortable with me living on campus during any disaster.”
During the first week of the semester, Tropical Storm Erika brought inclement weather to the area. Many out-of-state students were shocked that the storm was heading to South Florida.
Desiree Lakin, freshman athletic training major, is from out-of-state and said that although she does not know what to expect when a natural disaster occurs, she is comforted by NSU’s prioritization of students’ safety.
“It feels good to know that we, as students, have people taking care of us in case of a disaster,” she said.
In upcoming months, the panel will conduct community-wide awareness events about disasters and recovery.
Following the discussion, the panel will make an appearance at Sharky Story Time in the Alvin Sherman Library, where they will demonstrate lightning safety in a puppet show for children, followed by a discussion of the importance of being prepared for emergencies with the parents.
For more information, contact Megan Foley at mf1106@nova.edu.
