Foundation Teams with State Agencies for Weather Awareness Efforts

Florida Insurance Education Foundation Inc. (FIEF) has joined with the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management, The Florida Department of Education, Just Read, Florida!, The Red Cross and other organizations, in sponsoring the 2006 Hazardous Weather Awareness Week campaign Feb. 12 through 18.

Hazardous Weather Awareness Week is an annual statewide public awareness and education campaign that includes distribution of the “Florida Hazardous Weather Guide” to middle school classrooms, children’s books in elementary school classrooms, and a poster and essay contest for Florida schoolchildren.

Also part of the campaign is the statewide “Tornado Drill” to be conducted on Wednesday, Feb. 15, by the Florida offices of the National Weather Service.

“One of the goals of Hazardous Weather Awareness Week is to promote a culture of preparedness throughout all grade levels,” said State Meteorologist Ben Nelson with the Division of Emergency Management.

Winners of the essay and poster contests, along with their teachers, are selected from each of the seven emergency management areas in the state. Awards will be presented during the annual award ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 13.

“We are proud to join with the state in this important educational effort,” said Foundation President Deb Clouser of Allstate. “We believe in the words of Max Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center when he says, ‘Preparation through education is less costly than learning through tragedy.’ Reducing the impact of disasters on Floridians is the goal of the Florida Insurance Education Foundation.”

Information about Hazardous Weather Awareness Week can be found at http://www.floridadisaster.org/kids and also at the Florida Insurance Foundation’s new Web site http://www.InsuranceEd.org.