and researching emergency readiness best practices. Ten senior nursing students, all members of the SNA, engaged in the project from start to finish. During our initial meeting, students delegated tasks such as pricing and ordering disaster kit supplies, mapping evacuation routes, identifying shelters, and assembling disaster kits. The 3M™ Littmann ® Stethoscope Leadership Development Grant enabled us to purchase supplies for 99 disaster relief kits.
The planning and implementation process presented both triumphs and challenges. Ordering supplies was generally straightforward, though one challenge was maximizing the quantity of supplies while staying within our budget. Once supplies were purchased, we used an assembly line method to put the kits together, which minimized errors, was efficient, and fun.
To build local partnerships, we reached out to various community-based organizations, public health agencies, emergency response groups, and shelters. We leveraged existing connections through community events and word-of-mouth. Our diverse target audiences encompassed low-income families, seniors, and individuals lacking access to emergency supplies. We planned to distribute educational materials and disaster kits at local health and wellness events, specifically targeting those who might lack the resources to prepare for disasters. Developing educational materials involved research into the locations of shelters and evacuation routes specific to each city in Hampton Roads.
Intervention
We held events at three locations: Stop the Bleed in Williamsburg, the 11th Annual Revitalize and Thrive Health and Wellness Celebration in Hampton, and the Portsmouth Senior Station in Portsmouth. At each event, we conducted in-person teaching sessions and we distributed disaster prep kits along with educational materials. Many of the participants were older adults who showed a strong willingness to learn and asked insightful questions. While our written materials were generally well received, participants also benefited greatly from one-on-one support during the teaching sessions. It became clear that many community members had not previously considered crucial aspects of disaster preparedness, such as maintaining emergency contact lists, securely storing important documents, keeping cash on hand, managing refrigerated medications during an outage, or identifying evacuation routes specific to their residence.
Through our teaching, participants gained valuable awareness and began identifying new concerns that they realized they would need to address in an emergency. Participant concerns included how to secure transportation for immobile individuals, what to do with pets during an evacuation, and how to effectively communicate with neighbors who might need help in a crisis. Many participants were particularly grateful for the personalized evacuation route information.
Overall, the community ' s response was overwhelmingly positive. Many people expressed sincere gratitude for our presence and for the time we took to share this vital information. A few even suggested other community groups that could benefit from similar disaster preparedness education. Several participants were interested in where they could direct others to pick up disaster kits, highlighting just how valuable and needed this kind of outreach is. We noted that most participants didn ' t have a designated safe place for important paper documents, which the kits provided. One attendee at a senior center was moved to tears by the focused attention given to her age group.
Evaluation
Our disaster preparedness project was exceptionally well received by the community. We distributed 90 disaster kits. Many participants shared that they felt more confident about handling emergencies after attending our sessions. Numerous individuals admitted they hadn ' t previously considered vital details like preparing supplies for their pets, securing vital documents, or planning for specific household needs. The kits and checklists we provided offered a tangible starting point, sparking meaningful conversations at our events.
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