The Sixteenth Annual Northwest Arkansas Emergency Preparedness Fair will be held on Saturday, September 18th. Over 40 displays, activities, and informational booths, and a walk-in Red Cross Blood Drive will be present at the fair this year.
“The Emergency Preparedness Fair is a wonderful place to learn how to prepare for a disaster before it strikes,” said Simon Keogh, Bentonville Stake President for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Our fair partners do an exceptional job of giving our community members the disaster readiness tools they need in a fun and engaging way for the entire family.”
It’s important to remember Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley don’t just deal with tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. This year’s Preparedness Fair will give the community the tools to respond to a wide variety of large-scale and personal disasters including fire, flood, and basic first aid needs. Some additions to the fair this year include Ready Hour Food Storage, Red Cross Emergency Response, JMacks’s Honey and Beekeeping, and other amazing displays to check out.
Chief Meteorologist Dan Skoff has been a participant in the fair for over 5 years and said, “The Northwest Arkansas/River Valley area WILL encounter more tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, significant flooding, and other disasters which could impact you. What’s your safety plan if a tornado was headed directly towards your home or if floodwaters were rapidly approaching your front doorstep? If there’s no plan in place, you might want to consider attending the NWA Emergency Preparedness Fair to equip your family with life-saving information to get you through the storms of life.”
Some events at this year’s fair include:
- Free lunch and admission
- Emergency vehicles to explore
- Various live presentations
- The Pillowcase Project presented by the American Red Cross for children ages 7-12
- A Red Cross blood drive
The walk-in Red Cross blood drive is one of the largest sources of blood donations in Northwest Arkansas and helps to save nearly 500 lives each year. The blood drive will be held both on Friday, September 17th, and Saturday, September 18th. Donors can make appointments ahead of time at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
Red Cross Donor Recruitment Manager Cassady Watkins said, “The American Red Cross looks forward to this event every year! The Emergency Preparedness Fair provides an opportunity for the NWA community to help save lives, by donating lifesaving blood to patients in need.”
The fair will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building located at 1101 McCollum Drive in Bentonville, Arkansas. For more information about the fair, visit https://www.facebook.com/nwapreparednessfair.
