Readout from the First Lady’s Briefing on Youth Hurricane Preparedness

Office of the First Lady FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 3, 2020 Readout from the First Lady’s Briefing on Youth Hurricane Preparedness   Today, First Lady Melania Trump was briefed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington, D.C., by FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor and officials from the American Red Cross regarding hurricane preparedness resources that the agencies have available for children and families. Effective hurricane preparedness tools are vital to the safety of the American people. This can only be achieved when every level of the government is engaged, along with communities and families. This briefing comes after the First Lady attended the 2020 Hurricane season briefing with the President and other government officials at the White House last week, which specifically discussed the disaster response and recovery efforts during COVID-19. The safety of the American people during hurricane season is a priority of the First Lady and that begins with ensuring they have the tools and resources to adequately prepare themselves. “While the nation and world continue to fight the silent enemy of COVID-19, it is still important to focus on educating our nation’s youth and providing families with the resources they need to prepare themselves in the event of a hurricane” said First Lady Melania Trump. The American Red Cross briefed the First Lady on the updates that have been made to their “Pillowcase Project” that she supported during a visit with of fifth grade students in Charleston, South Carolina. The project has reached over 1.5 million children across the United States. They also discussed their preparedness education program that was created in partnership with FEMA, “Prepare with Pedro,” an activity book for children K-2 that teaches how to be prepared and take action during an emergency or natural disaster. Administrator Gaynor and FEMA Officials briefed the First Lady on the resources and education programs they provide to communities across the country on youth preparedness. Programs include: “Ready 2 Help,” a card game teaching children lifesaving skills, “Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP),” a curriculum for fourth and fifth grade students on emergency preparedness, and “Teen Cert” a program that teaches volunteers to respond safely and responsibly in emergency situations.