St. Joseph Emergency Services: Best way to deal with severe weather is be prepared

CENTREVILLE — St. Joseph County Emergency Services Director Erin Goff said the best part of her job is helping people understand the value of being prepared.

She had the opportunity to reinforce that message earlier this week, addressing more than 60 fifth-grade students at Centreville Elementary School.

During the hourlong presentation, Goff shared with students the importance of being aware of potential weather dangers, being prepared if such conditions materialize and having a plan for dealing with the aftermath of a weather emergency.

She provided sound advice in response to a variety of conditions, including tornadoes, flooding, and snow and ice storms.

A number of students referenced the August 2021 storms that leveled trees, destroyed buildings and have gone down in the books as the strongest weather system to hit St. Joseph County in recent memory.

Goff’s presentation was a part of Student Tools for Emergency Planning, developed by FEMA and sponsored by Michigan State Police. STEP is geared toward fifth-grade students and Goff’s informative appearance is done at no charge.

“It’s offered to all the school districts in the county, but some of the districts that have a school-resource officer will hear the presentation from that SRO,” Goff said. “I’ve been really fortunate to have been to four districts now and have shared some pretty important information.”

She said students in fifth grade are 10 to 11 years of age, generally, and old enough to recognize concepts and consequences of severe weather.

“I appreciate the flexibility of the content because there are other components you can put in the presentation, there are different activities within each of the lessons,” she said. “I tend to pick the ones that seem to work really well for our kids, that are really important for our area especially and for me to deliver within that one-hour time chunk.”

Goff said students have basic knowledge of weather emergencies such as tornadoes, or potential dangers such as fire, through multiple drills conducted regularly over the course of a nine-month school year. STEP helps form a connection between the drills and potential real-life situations.

“The kids, especially those who are younger, but sometimes miss the connection between why they’re doing the drills and the ultimate what could happen,” she said. “Giving them context of what a disaster is, what an emergency is, why we worry about hazards and what they really are, (STEP) bridges that gap.”

Goff, an eight-year county employee who has served in her current capacity for the sheriff’s department the past three years, said she hopes STEP lessons leave a lasting impact on students.

“I hope it comes across that I really enjoy teaching STEP … if I can teach them at that age how to prepare and how to be aware of things, then it’s that much easier as they grow up that they have a little bit of awareness in the back of their minds,” she said. “It just makes it so much easier and it makes us all so much safer.”

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: St. Joseph expert: The best way to deal with severe weather is to be prepared