‘Be prepared!’ for any disaster by attending free expo Aug. 31
There is a reason the Boy Scouts motto is “Be Prepared.” Striving for that state of being helps people to be able to react quickly in emergencies, become productive citizens or strong leaders and be in a position to bring comfort to others.
Coming up on Saturday, Aug. 31, Kerr County residents and their visitors will have a chance to become better prepared for whatever disasters they may face by attending the Kerr County Disaster Preparedness Expo.
The free admission event will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Happy State Bank Expo Hall of the Hill Country Youth Event Center, 3785 TX-27 in Kerrville.
“Back in July, some of our local residents had to deal with flash flooding. But, what if it had been a 1978-magnitude of flooding when Kerr County received 54 inches of rain over 4 days? Or, what if tornadoes had struck our area instead of the river rising…or both? Would you know what to do? For your family? For your neighbors?” said Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator William B. “Dub” Thomas.
“The average person, especially one who has lived near the Guadalupe River for many years, will have a clue about the basics of disaster preparedness,” Thomas said. “But, really, there’s so much more all of us can learn about how to best be prepared for and mitigate the effects of many types of disasters, whether they are natural like severe floods or tornadoes or man-made, such as shootings or bombs.”
“This year’s expo is bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event,” Thomas said.
In fact, the number of vendors is double that of last year’s, now number more than 60, including: the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), Team Rubicon, the Texas Forest Service, local volunteer fire departments, Kerrville Public Utility Board, Central Texas Electric Cooperative and others.
“We’ll have experts lined up and ready to answer questions on everything from raising chickens, how to store food and water over the long-term and the best methods for personal defense to financial recovery, individual health and wellness,” Thomas said.
Also included will be a mobile blood drive to help remedy the severe shortage of blood supplies on hand for Texans, thanks to the folks at South Texas Blood and Tissue. To register for an appointment time, use this link: https://donor.southtexasblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/146583
And, there will be food vendors on site.
“We’ve got more participants this year, and we’re hoping we draw an even larger crowd than the 800 who showed up last year,” he added.
“This is an opportunity for everyone to come out and learn a little bit more about preparedness. And, possibly, find some products that will help them be more prepared,” Thomas said. “After all, the best way to experience a disaster of any kind is to meet it head-on – well-prepared and armed with the knowledge of how to deal with it.”
Joining Kerr County Emergency Management in hosting the event is the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office and Hill Country Preppers organization.
For more information on the event or to become a participating sponsor or exhibitor, contact Thomas by calling 830-315-2430 or by email at wthomas@co.kerr.tx.us.