An emergency preparedness fair Saturday informed students and members of the community of ways to cope with various emergency situations.
The fair included more than 20 booths throughout the room, including one that demonstrated the use of a Dutch oven and an apple box oven, which could be used to cook food in case of a power outage.
One of the main goals of the event, which was hosted by the Latter Day Saints Student Association in the Bost Extension Center, was to help emergency officials and members of the community get to know each other better, event coordinator Shellie Aultman said. The Starkville community definitely needs to be more informed about what to do during emergency situations, she said.
“We saw how confused everyone was after Hurricane Katrina, so we just wanted to help educate the community,” said Aultman, a native of the New Orleans area.
One attendee, sophomore mechanical engineering major Darrell Parker, said it is important that people are informed about how to deal with emergencies.
“In emergency situations, people are in a state of panic. The more prepared a person is, the more they will be able to make rational decisions,” Parker, a Mississippi Gulf Coast resident who has been through major hurricanes, said.
Outreach coordinator and psychologist Amy Stapleton was invited to set up a booth at the fair. Stapleton is a former Baltimore, Md., county police officer who has witnessed many psychiatric emergencies such as house explosions, barricades, natural disasters, suicides and the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Stapleton said she learned from her work experience that during emergencies, it is crucial that everyone has a plan.
“Preparation is extremely important. People need to know how to get in touch with their loved ones during times of crisis,” she said.
Throughout the day, those who attended the fair got the chance to hear a different speaker every 30 minutes. Starkville Mayor Dan Camp discussed personal preparedness. During emergency situations people should not always rely on the government, but rely on themselves, he said. “One of our largest catastrophes is from hurricanes. As individuals, we need to be better prepared.”
Other speakers included Senior Airman of the Columbus Air Force Base Heather Hilbirch, representative for the Oktibbeha County Hospital Pat Kelly, MSU executive director of facilities management Jim Jones and WCBI-TV chief meteorologist Rob Smith.
Faculty advisor of the LDSSA Teri Brandenburg said she hopes the fair brought in a positive response. She also said this is the first time the LDSSA has held this event, and hopefully it will occur annually from now on.