Personal Hazard Mitigation Activities

Hurricanes pose a major threat to my community. Any time that they occur they leave
a trail of destruction with many lives lost and properties destroyed. The destructive nature of
hurricanes is due to the strong winds that they produce which turn debris into dangerous
projectiles, damage poles and utility lines, and tear roofs from homes. The hurricanes are
often accompanied by heavy rains which result in destructive floods. Since hurricanes cannot
be prevented, mitigation activities in my community primarily involve reducing the effects of
hurricanes to the community.
One of the most important mitigation activities is public education and awareness. It
is this activity that I perform on a daily basis to mitigate the risks of hurricanes in my
community. Public education and awareness include all activities or actions that inform both
community members and elected officials about various hazards that the community faces
and steps that can be taken to mitigate them. These activities include setting up hazard
information centers, conducting outreach projects, and carrying out both adult and school-age
education.
On a daily basis I conduct adult and school-age education, and outreach projects.
During my daily outreach and education activities, I inform community members about the
importance of, among other things, creating and emergency survival kit, ways of
strengthening the roofs of their houses so that they so not easily get blown away during
hurricanes, and securing their windows and lawn chairs. I also explain to them the importance
of staying indoors during hurricane threats. In particular, I warn against visiting beaches and
other risky areas during hurricanes.
These education and awareness activities that I engage in on a daily basis are purely
driven by personal motivation. I have always been a person who enjoys sharing knowledge

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and putting what I learn into use for the benefit of the community. Therefore, my hazard
mitigation activities are not informed by any legal requirement.