There’s nothing fun about living through an extreme weather disaster. But to help kids and families stay safe in an emergency, FEMA and the American Red Cross have teamed up to make disaster preparedness a game.
Levy: “If children grow up understanding the importance of disaster preparedness … they’ll grow into being prepared adults.”
Aaron Levy is the director of individual and community preparedness at FEMA. He says the free, printable game is part of the “Prepare with Pedro” campaign. It’s a preparedness education program, with story books and activities, starring a cartoon penguin in a hard hat named Pedro.
In the game, players match cards naming different types of hazards with cards describing how to stay safe during those events. For example: Never play in floodwater.
It also teaches kids about things their families can do to prepare for a disaster — like making a family evacuation plan.
Levy: “I have an 11-year-old and I know when she comes home very excited from school and wants us to participate in something, it really gets our entire family excited.”
So he says getting young people engaged in the basics of emergency readiness can also help inspire adults to prepare for increasingly extreme weather.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media