CEDAR CITY – Seven full conference rooms in Cedar City’s Festival Hall, 105 N. 100 East, will be the setting Saturday for residents from all over Iron County to learn about how to “prep” at this year’s Iron County Preparedness Expo.
The free expo was planned in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Awareness Month campaign, Iron County Emergency Management Coordinator John Higley said. The expo will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., he said.
The theme for National Awareness Month is: “Don’t wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today.” FEMA materials on the national awareness campaign splits the month into weekly preparedness themes – flood, wildfire, hurricane and power outage – one for each week in September.
Since this year’s September has five weeks in it, FEMA materials state, the first four weeks are to act as a buildup for the grand event in the final week, “National Preparation Day.”
Iron County doesn’t have the funding to create month-long awareness opportunities, Higley said, so he chose to schedule the expo for the middle of the month and work to line up vendors and speakers for the event that would be able to touch on the “don’t wait” theme established by FEMA. Explaining, he said:
Meaning that if people do one more thing, or do something to get better prepared, that’s one less thing they have to worry about. If they do something to prepare for a flood, for example, put together their family communications plan, or if they review whether or not they live in a flood plain, or add flood insurance, then at least they’ve got one more thing done to be better prepared.
Four guest speakers are scheduled for one hour each beginning at 10:30 a.m. to offer their expertise to the public at the all-day event:
- E. Tal Ehlers, Sevier County emergency manager
- Jason Hanson, former CIA officer, ABC’s Shark Tank winner and security specialist
- Julienne Meron, Utah Emergency Animal Response Coalition
- Terry Keyes, Cedar City resident and author of articles “The Value of Shopping Local” and “The Value of Having a Business Plan”
The 15 vendors who reserved space for the 2015 Iron County Preparedness Expo offer a variety of services to help residents prepare for a variety of disaster situations, Higley said.
Representatives from Wellprepared.com, Be Ready Utah, Rainbow Canyons Amateur Radio Club, Southwest Utah Public Health Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Cedar City Police Department, Community Emergency Response Teams and many others will have booths scattered throughout Festival Hall where, Higley said, visitors can purchase preparation items, gather resources and network emergency preparedness opportunities for the future.
Throughout the day, prizes will be given out to attendees that reflect the theme of the event, Higley said, but winners must be present to claim their prize.
“Be Ready Utah is coming down with a ton of stuff,” He said, explaining that there were also a few surprises in store for Saturday attendees.
Relates posts
- Mrs. Utah America partners with Red Cross preparedness
- Emergency Preparedness Fair
- Perspectives: Give gifts that promote preparedness – 2014
- Morning earthquake shakes So. Utah; preparedness is key – 2014
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I love the political correctness in the picture. Iron County is .6% black but they couldn’t resist having a black arm in the picture.
I love someone who finds fault with anything and everything. It’s stock artwork for a news story. Get over yourself and you hypercritical perspective on just about every topic. Take a chill pill.
one should always follow their own advice
Please how explain what I said was hypocritical. I think you use big words without understanding their meaning.
I’m flattered that you love me. Post a photo so I can see how lucky I am.
Oh oh you said black. that’s makes you a racist LOL.!
Where’s the Native American hand in the picture? There isn’t one? Racisg
well theres no china man or latino either. racism by exclusion
Your own comments here clearly demonstrate who the racist is. China man? Really?
You are being hypersensitive. White man, black man, china man, see the resemblance?
Hey don’t forget the little green men from Mars
Oh wow I almost forgot the one eyed. pigeon toed purple people eaters
Ed Ellipsis for president 2016.!
That’s funny how FEMA has a ‘National Awareness/Preparedness’ month now.
Mind you, this is the same Federal Government that tells us that the people who ‘prepare’ and stockpile food, medicine, and ammo should also be considered for the terrorist watch list.
The same Federal government that wants a record of the people that order food storage.
The same Federal government that wants you to report any ‘suspicious’ preparedness in your neighbors garage.
The same Federal government that ridiculed ‘preppers’ and calls them ‘radicals’. (Yet no one seemed to mind when preppers helped out in Hurricane Sandy a few years back).
I don’t even need to hear the ‘tin foil hat’ comments. It’s all in the news, and it’s all pubic record. Look it up yourself.