First Lady Melania Trump attended a briefing with FEMA and American Red Cross officials at FEMA Headquaters on Wednesday to discuss youth hurricane preparedness resources, part of her Be Best initiative.
“While the nation and world continue to fight the silent enemy of COVID-19, it is still important to focus on educating our nation’s youth and providing families with the resources they need to prepare themselves in the event of a hurricane” Melania said, according to a White House readout.
Meeting with American Red Cross members and FEMA administrators, Melania was briefed on updates made to the “Pillowcase Project” as well as education preparedness programs that teaches children in Kindergarten to second grade safety measures and preparedness to take during an emergency or natural disaster.
Last October, Melania along with second lady Karen Pence visited Lambs Elementary School, in South Carolina, to take part in a Pillowcase Project presentation. During the visit, both ladies helped the students decorate their pillowcases and helped educate the students about the importance of preparing for disasters.
According to the Red Cross, the Pillowcase Project was created by the American Red Cross Southeast Louisiana Chapter and implemented in New Orleans schools following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Over 1.4 million youth have participated in this program across the country since 2014.
Other resources and education programs created by the American Red Cross in partnership with FEMA includes “Ready 2 Help,” a card game teaching children lifesaving skills, “Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP),” a curriculum for fourth and fifth grade students on emergency preparedness, and “Teen Cert” a program that teaches volunteers to respond safely and responsibly in emergency situations.
This briefing comes after the First Lady attended the 2020 Hurricane season briefing with the President and other government officials at the White House last week, which specifically discussed the disaster response and recovery efforts during COVID-19.
On Thursday, Melania’s shared video and photos from the briefing on her twitter account, saying she was “updated on hurricane preparedness resources and tools” that are vital to the “safety of the American people.”
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