Recipient Organization
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MISSISSIPPI STATE,MS 39762
Performing Department
University Administration
Non Technical Summary
The Mississippi River is generating the most significant flooding in the past 300 years. Seventeen west Mississippi counties have been declared to be in a state of emergency, by the federal governement. Following a disaster of this magnitude, individuals, families and communities experience significant stressors, including economic loss and psychological reactions such as grief, anger, and worry. The Mississippi State University Extension Service is in a unique position to help Mississippi citizens respond to this most recent disaster. The flooding of the Mississippi River, its tributaries and backwater,and oxbow lake has had a significant and devastating impact from the northwestern corner of the state to its southwest border with Louisiana. There are counties that will be declared an agricultural disasters once waters recede and will likely increase the total number of impacted counties. Families and communities are taking protective measures for structures and contents. The most severe impacts on families will be those areas located near the Mississippi River, its tributaries, and erosion control zones. Although the flood waters have begun to recede in the northern portion of the state, there are still large areas that possibly will be covered with water until late June or ealry July. Individuals, families and communities in affected areas are expected to experience many negative psycho-social effects. All of the affected communities in these counties will face significant challenges in rebuilding their economies and social institutions. The impacted counties have a population of about 500,000 people and put a risk millions of crop acres, indicate the potential acres of cropland and other farmland that will likely face damage from the flooding. This catastrophic flood event has resulted in a critical need for families and communities to become educated and empowered to prepare them for the anticipated changes they face in their lives. Outcomes: Individuals, families, businesses, farms, local organizations, and communities will learn about disaster response and recovery, how to cope with stress and long-term recovery issues (family, economic and structure recovery, etc.) Agricultural stakeholders, farmers and agencies will learn about agricultural damage assessments in flood-impacted areas and the recommendations on risk management,restoring operations, salvaging the production season, and sources of disaster assistance. Extension professionals will learn about the processes and organizations involved in disaster management at the local level, how to access disaster resources available through the LGU system and its partners, how to cope with stress and long-term recovery issues and deliver programming on anger and stress management and family resiliency, how to conduct moisture level testing, research based information for plant and recovery issues, and how to facilitate and assist community organizations assisting in long term recovery. Professionals will use these skills and resources in teaching, consultation, facilitation and work in local recovery.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Knowledge Area
401 - Structures, Facilities, and General Purpose Farm Supplies;
602 - Business Management, Finance, and Taxation;
805 - Community Institutions, Health, and Social Services;
102 - Soil, Plant, Water, Nutrient Relationships;
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins;
608 - Community Resource Planning and Development;
801 - Individual and Family Resource Management;
Subject Of Investigation
6020 - The family and its members;
6030 - The farm as an enterprise;
6050 - Communities, areas, and regions;
Field Of Science
3080 - Sociology;
3100 - Management;
Goals / Objectives
Goals/Objectives/Expected Outputs The primary goals: 1. Disseminate credible, science-based information to citizens living in the Mississippi River flood-impacted areas that address the negative effects upon individuals, families, communities, agriculture, business and industry. 2. Prepare Extension professionals to deal with anticipated negative psychological-emotional effects of the Mississippi River flood of 2011 upon individuals, families, communities, agriculture, business and industry through professional development training. Specific project objectives include: Residents, local organizations, and communities will learn: 1.1 About disaster response and recovery through LGU educational materials and program delivery. 1.2 How to cope with stress and long-term recovery issues (family, economic and structure recovery, etc.) Agricultural stakeholders, farmers and agencies will: 1.3 Have access to agricultural damage assessments in flood-impacted areas. 1.4 Learn the latest information and recommendations on risk management, restoring operations, salvaging the production season, and sources of disaster assistance. Cooperative Extension professionals in Mississippi will learn: 2.1 About the processes and organizations involved in disaster management at the local level, engage the community in Triumph over Tragedy programming and assist in shelters in Creating Safe Spaces. 2.2 How to access disaster resources available through the LGU system and its partners. 2.3 How to cope with stress and long-term recovery issues and deliver programming on anger and stress management and family resiliency 2.4 How to conduct moisture level testing and research based information for plant and animal recovery issues. Activities and events: analyzing/assessing economic impact, assessments of moisture levels in structures, facilitating community meetings, teaching workshops, staffing resource recovery centers; provision of in-service education; dissemination of materials through variety of methods. Services:counseling regarding recovery issues. Products: social media posts, news releases, radio and TV spots, guidesheets, web postings; information, skills, and technology for individuals, communities, and programs.
Project Methods
Methods: Distribution of printed guidesheets and resources in impacted communities through local Extension specialists' efforts. They will be placed in local churches, businesses, government offices and resident support service locations. Appropriate publications will be translated to Spanish. These resources will be posted on MSU Extension Service's website, and submitted to EDEN and eXtension websites for possible posting. Web-based disaster recovery information outreach. The adapted disaster recovery guide and resources will be posted on the Internet, including the MU Extension websites, the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) and the national eXtension website (disaster and family finance channels). Social marketing disaster recovery information outreach. Facebook sites (specific to disaster, flooding, families and communities) will be established and maintained with ongoing information to lead users to our web-based and print resources. News media disaster recovery information outreach. Radio, TV, YouTube, and newspaper releases, PSAs and articles will be developed to provide impacted citizens with information about disaster recovery and to lead affected residents to helpful disaster recovery information through contact with our local Extension offices as well as to our web-based and print resources. Agricultural economic information and assistance workshops, panels, etc. Training for Extension Professionals and Others via face to face and web-based technology. Among TN, MO, AR, MS and LA: Monthly conference calls with the five state team members; use the EDEN intranet and www.eXtension.org to share documents and other resources, submit quarterly progress reports via EDEN Flood Recovery project intranet, submit a poster session to the 2011 national EDEN meeting, and participate in national EDEN meeting and facilitate Flood Recovery Project meeting of members and support poster session submission. Evaluation: Track number of persons and type of assistance provided via disaster recovery center operations; followers and no. reached via social media; no. assisted with soil and moisture testing. For participants in workshops and training, we will assess the perceived change in knowledge and skills (learning), value of training, and intent to apply learning. We will conduct followup web-based survey to determine how knowledge and skills have been applied and degree of use. For individuals assisted, we will track using a one page sheet to document nature of service/information provided, usefulness and persons served. We will conduct voluntary followup survey regarding use of information. In addition to tracking deliverables, we will evaluate our short and medium term outcomes using clip-board and web-based surveys. These tools will allow us to gather feedback on what our clients have learned and what actions they have taken after participating in MSU Extension educational programming on disasters and disaster recovery. We will track the work with community organizations and long term recovery committees by monitoring and survey if needed.