Hurricane ‘Myths’ Social Media Campaign Earns FEPA 2016 Media Award
By Don Walker, Brevard County // February 6, 2016
Florida Emergency preparedness association
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – A social media campaign that addresses ‘Myths and Misconceptions’ of Hurricane Season earned the National Weather Service-Melbourne, Brevard County Emergency Management and Brevard County Government’s Space Coast Government Television the 2016 Media Award from the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association.
The Media Award recognizes outstanding efforts to educate and inform the public about Emergency Management. It was presented Thursday during FEPA’s 2016 Annual Meeting and Work Session at the Daytona Beach Hilton.
In all, the joint effort by NWS-Melbourne, Emergency Management and SCGTV produced 13 “Myths and Misconceptions” videos, each 30 seconds to a minute long, that factually address a wide range of unfounded beliefs commonly held during hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30.
The videos were posted on Social Media sites Twitter and Facebook throughout the 2015 Hurricane Season.
For example, “Brevard County doesn’t get hurricanes, that’s why they built the Kennedy Space Center here.”
In actuality, 40 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 50 miles of Cape Canaveral since 1850.
Also, “A forecast for a below normal hurricane season means we don’t have to prepare.” In reality, 1992 was the second-quietest hurricane season on record. It was the same year Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida. It only takes one to be a bad season.
The Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) was created in 1956 to help professional Emergency Managers coordinate to protect residents and visitors to Florida.
This year, FEPA will be celebrating 60 years of service, and it is the premier statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the emergency management field.
The primary mission of FEPA is to provide an information and support network between county emergency management directors, and partners at the municipal, county, regional, tribal, state, and federal government levels.
Also, as part of the FEPA conference, Emergency Management Director Kimberly Prosser and Senior Emergency Management Coordinator Michele Jones received Florida Professional Emergency Manager certifications as they joined an elite group of fewer than 230 certified emergency management professionals across the state.
FPEM certification recognizes devoted individuals who possess advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform effectively within a comprehensive emergency management program. Applicants for this certification must be able to prove their eligibility by providing documentation of required training, education, professional contributions, experience, and time in service.
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