Free online course helps community prepare for an emergency

While South Florida has been fortunate to have quiet hurricane seasons in recent years, it only takes a single storm to have a devastating impact on the region.

To help all communities along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts better prepare for potential hurricanes, FIU has created an Emergency Preparedness MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that is free and open to anyone with Internet access. The MOOC, the result of a partnership between FIU Online and FIU’s Emergency Management, includes various modules with one specifically dedicated to hurricane readiness.

“Since South Florida hasn’t been hit by a major hurricane in more than a decade, there’s a certain level of complacency,” says Amy B. Aiken, FIU’s Director of Emergency Management. “There are also plenty of people new to South Florida who have never experienced a hurricane. So whether this serves as a refresher course or it’s new information, my hope is that the course will help start some important conversations before a storm strikes.”

The 25-minute hurricane module provides an overview of violent storms and their potential danger, plus comprehensive information on how to protect your home, your family and your workplace. The course includes a video with FIU’s official mascot – Roary the Panther – sharing how he prepares for a hurricane as well as resources on how to develop a family communications plan; determine your flood risk; prune trees properly; and put together an emergency kit. It also covers what to do during the storm and after it passes.

Throughout the course, there are several opportunities to check your knowledge as well as a list of frequently asked questions, covering everything from how much water you need to whether you should prepare food in your fridge before the storm.

Matthew Acevedo, a senior instructional designer for FIU Online, says his team designed the comprehensive emergency MOOC as a “just in time” resource with accessibility in mind.

“Because the content is so important, we wanted to remove all the barriers to access. We eliminated the registration and login information, and created the content to be responsive on all devices. The course looks just as good on an iPhone or iPad as it does on the desktop.”

The hurricane readiness module is another tool to help the university community be well informed in advance of an imminent storm. Currently, FIU communicates with the community using FIU Alerts – which notifies students and employees of hurricane watches and warnings via email messages and texts – and through FIU.edu, FIU News and social media.

The Emergency Preparedness MOOC, which went live in early July, also includes modules on criminal threats, thunderstorms, tornadoes, pandemic and Ebola. You can access all the emergency preparedness topics at http://prep.fiu.edu.