VolunteerLEON's Featured Story - August 2003

On the week of July 21-25,  young men and women ages 14 through 18 came together to participate in a one of a kind experience the "Capital Area Youth Disaster College."  This college was designed to provide participants with a knowledge of disasters and how they affect our families, neighborhoods and communities.

Each of the five days were designed to fully involve individuals in how our communities plan for, respond to, recover from and mitigate disasters. Field activities included trips to the Hazardous Materials Team of the Tallahassee Fire Department, Leon County Emergency Operation Center, Leon County Sheriff's Office 911 Center, State of Florida Division of Forestry Wildfire Response Team, Tallahassee Forecast Office of the National Weather Service and much more.

Classroom activities included disaster courses such as Introduction to Disaster Services, Damage Assessment and Shelter Management. In addition to training on team leadership.

As an important part of the weeks activities, a competition to construct a "Hurricane Proof House" provided an understanding of how disaster mitigation works and its importance in making our neighborhoods and communities disaster resistant.

The 2003 Capital Area Youth Disaster College is sponsored by:

• Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross

• Capital Area Citizen Corps

• City of Tallahassee Fire Department

• Leon County Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management

• Leon County Volunteer Center

• National Weather Services - Tallahassee Forecast Office

To view pictures of the week's activities, visit the American Red Cross' website at http://www.tallytown.com/redcross/ydc.html.