Prepared Not Scared: Educating Students on Tornado Safety
Miami FFA officers Cooper Harrison, Bryson Walker and Tylor Aary with advisor Shelby Bergman.
Every year, local FFA chapters across the nation plan their Program of Activities (POA). The POA serves as the official document for the chapter and as an outline of its goals and community outreach initiatives.
For years, Miami FFA in Oklahoma has taken an active approach in creating activities that provide educational opportunities and resources to grow the community in numerous ways. Following recent situations affecting the surrounding communities, including severe weather and tornadoes, Miami FFA members realized that education and awareness are the best ways to assist the community further. Miami is the most populous town in Ottawa County, but it lacks appropriate safety measures for severe weather by not supplying an updated public access storm shelter to the community members.
In response to the growing need for accessibility, Miami FFA created the Sooner Safe Project — a proactive approach to promote storm safety education to members of the community. This project focuses on visiting every Miami Public School site to teach about tornado preparedness, severe weather awareness and practical safety steps families can take during every stage of a storm. The goal is to ensure that students are feeling “prepared and not scared” when the inevitable happens.
Midwest Storm Chasers teach Miami Elementary students about severe weather.
Miami FFA officers and organizers Tylor Aary, Cooper Harrison, Bryson Walker and advisor Shelby Bergman will be traveling to each school site with Midwest Storm Chasers to present age-appropriate lessons covering tornado warning signs, the difference between a watch and a warning, and how to make a safety plan that will promote students’ need to stay prepared to prevent fear. Following the presentation, designated school sites and students will receive their “Sooner Safe” bags, which contain essential preparedness items designed to help families respond quickly during severe weather emergencies.
During the planning stages, Miami FFA set a goal to donate 100 Sooner Safe bags. This was made possible by Ottawa County’s generous community support, donations and sponsorships from the Inter-Tribal Council, Wyandotte Nation, Twister Shelters, Quapaw Emergency Management and the Miami FFA Chapter.
The Sooner Safe bags include safety whistles, fleece blankets, reusable water bottles, flashlights and storm radios. Miami FFA hopes that these bags will give students not only practical resources, but peace of mind during the upcoming storm season.
Miami High School learns about tornado safety.
