Emergency Preparedness promoted by Gunn High School Freshman

Akhil Kumar, a freshman at Gunn High School, is working hard to spread the word about Emergency Preparedness. An earthquake in Nepal last year sparked his interest in Disaster Preparedness.” More than 8,000 people were killed on April 25, 2015, after a magnitude-7.8 quake hit Nepal. The consequences of the Earthquake were devastating.

“I wondered to myself, if we in the Bay Area are prepared for a catastrophe of that magnitude? I investigated and discovered that we were not as well prepared and could benefit immensely from having more participation in the Emergency Service Program and more educational programs for the general public, especially teens", Akhil stated.

Akhil has trained to become a Block Preparedness Coordinator for his neighborhood as part of the Palo Alto Emergency Services department. He is one of the youngest members. He participates in meetings and drills to get a better understanding what to do during emergency situations. He helps prepare and distribute Emergency Preparedness packets in his neighborhood and events.

As a board member of the Redwood City Youth Literacy Council, which was planning to do a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Fair in the San Mateo County, Akhil saw a great opportunity to set up an Emergency Preparedness booth to reach out to more people. He stepped up and planned, organized, and conducted the booth.

"I was so happy with the outcome of the fair. People seemed really interested in being prepared; they took home lists, samples and asked me lots of questions. It was great to see so many kids and teens at my booth. I feel that I had an impact on the families that attended, bringing science, technology, engineering, and math to life through the activities at my booth. I felt extremely proud being a booth participant and received high praise for my contribution toward helping spread disaster preparedness information to many,” Akhil added.

The Festival was very successful with an estimated 3000 people attending. Many dignitaries including Senator Jerry Hill, City Council members Shelly Masur and Alicia Aguirre, Vice Mayor Ian Bain, and Mayor John Seybert, also visited attended. Senator Hill spoke about the importance of STEM education in our lives and urged participation from all attendees at events such as this one.

Akhil received an award from Gunn @ Your Service for the STEM Fair project. Akhil is also planning to set up educational seminars in other areas of Palo Alto for the youth and is in the process of working out the logistics.

Akhil has some basic advice for the citizens to prepare for any disaster. "You can go the government site, www.ready.gov and get tips on how to prepare. The four main steps are: Build a Kit, Make a Family Plan, Be Informed about the potential threats and Volunteer to help your community.”

Akhil also urges teens (who make up almost a third of the population) to participate more actively. “Many times in talking to my school peers, I get the feeling that they think nothing will happen to them during an emergency. I tell them that even a small step taken to ensure and be prepared for a disaster could avert injuries or loss of life. And since funding in this area is generally limited, they should do their bit and help create awareness in their respective neighborhoods and communities. Emergency preparedness is a topic of great significance and has also become a national priority. The time and resources invested in preparation may be small but the return is great because it gives one the peace of mind that they are prepared and also helps them be vigilant in case a disaster strikes. Personally speaking, even if I can influence a small set of people it counts," Akhil concluded.

Youtube video: http://youtu.be/k5VdoD2tXHw