MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Staying safe and prepared for weather emergencies is not easy for all families in Shelby County.
The school district said 82% of its students are economically challenged.
Friday, students at Shady Grove Elementary got help making sure they have some of the emergency supplies they need.
“Tennessee is very likely to have tornadoes or possibly even earthquakes,” one American Red Cross volunteer told students.
She described important emergency equipment people sometimes need in emergencies.
“Might be dark, so you’d want a flashlight. If you have a little transistor radio, that might be good,” she said.
This week brought the threat of severe weather.
WREG learned several fifth graders might not have been ready if conditions had been worse.
We asked a student if her family has discussed emergency plans before.
She said no.
The Red Cross introduced its Pillowcase Project to students Friday.
The project teaches children about safety. It provides students with pillowcases they can personalize and then store important emergency equipment inside.
“Our Pillowcase Project holds things that we would need for storms, and so, I put ‘Safety comes first,'” said fifth grader Trayton Holmes, describing what he drew on his pillowcase.
Acknowledging that not all families are able to stock homes with essentials, a dentist donated items to get these students started.
“He donated toothbrushes, tooth paste, and dental floss to start your collection,” principal Kiersten Schnacke announced.
The school plans to take it a step further.
“We’re hoping that all of our volunteers from area churches will help take a grade level and we’ll be able to build, and the flashlights, and add to their pillowcases,” Schnacke said.
“If you’re not safe, something bad could go wrong,” said fifth grader Yari Jones.
The Red Cross provided students with planning booklets to go through with their families.
The booklets help families plan what they should do in the event of different emergencies.
The Red Cross reminded students that this is not just for kids.
Parents might want to think about setting aside some important documents and medicines, so they could easily access them in an emergency.