Background
FIU is located just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Being that close means that our University must be prepared to evaluate the campus in the event of a hurricane. FIU is also used as a shelter for Monroe County residents during hurricanes. The NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, providing daily information on storms in the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the NOAA National Weather Service Miami Forecast Office, is located on the west side of the FIU campus. If you have never seen the building, drive/walk over there and take a look. You can take a tour if you make an appointment (for security purposes, Florida or other REAL ID-compliant driver’s license is required for the tour).
Consequently FIU must have a tested hurricane preparedness plan to institute when hurricane warnings are given. The most devastating hurricanes include Katrina in 2005 for the devastating storm surge flooding produced and Andrew in 1992 for the catastrophic wind damage. The strongest hurricane to hit Florida since 2000 was Charley (category 4), near Punta Gorda on the west coast, which was the strongest to strike the US since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Hurricanes Jeanne, Dennis, Wilma, and Hurricane Ivan, all category 3, made landfall on the state as major hurricanes, but Katrina was just a Category 1 when it made landfall.
Disaster preparedness has been addressed by many local and national organizations, include the American Public Health Association’s Get Ready campaign which helps Americans prepare themselves, their families and their communities for all disasters and hazards, including pandemic flu, infectious disease, natural disasters and other emergencies. Miami Dade County’s emergency response includes preparation for hurricane season (http://www.miamidade.gov/fire/emergency-management.asp) with a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

Assignment
“Your mission, [you must] choose to accept it…” “Impossible is nothing” for PHC6602 students.
Even though there are many resources available, media notifications, public health warnings, few people are prepared for hurricanes. It has been 10 years since South Florida has experienced a major storm. As public health professionals, you have been asked by the MDCHD Emergency Preparedness Team to coordinate efforts to prepare and respond to a hurricane if one were to hit South Florida (recovery is another story!). The geographic area of your FIU team’s responsibility is a 6-block residential area where you (one of you) live. You are responsible for advising your neighbors of evacuation plans and sheltering needs including the elderly, and others who cannot take care of themselves as well as those who can. For those who must evaluate and those who go to shelters, you must tell them what they need to take with them; and for those staying in their homes, what they will need to have available. Where will your neighbors go for the most reliable information?
Design an intervention for hurricane preparedness to prepare for the event of a hurricane in South Florida. The intervention should include what your neighbors should do before and when a hurricane is imminent. How do you get your neighbors to behave/act in the face of a serious threat? Consider tropical depressions, tropical storm watches and warnings and hurricane watches and warnings. Consider the history of hurricanes in our area. On what theory(ies) will your intervention be based? How will you select the theory or theories? Which theory provides the best opportunity for success of the intervention? Have any theories been effective or efficacious for this intervention or this type of intervention?
Outline of Report, Check Bb and Syllabus for Deadline
I. Introduction and Background (20%)
II. Thorough description of the intervention—objectives, strategies, etc. —following Intervention Mapping Steps 1-5. (30%)
III. Explanation of theories reviewed, assessed, selected (30%)
IV. Conclusions/Contributions of each team member (20%)
V. References in APA style
VI. Assessment of Performance in Groups (one for each student). Please upload to Blackboard. Label your file like this: yourname_APerfG_date. No grade will be assigned until all forms from your group are received.
Questions to answer:

• Contact landlords and offer Toolkit and evacuation plans – Dee
• Contact local hotels to see if they would offer rooms either at low costs or for free if there is no space at local shelters- Vanessa
• Contact transportation authorities to use buses and vans for elderly or those without transportation-Yasmeen
• Check with neighbors who may need a ride.farah
•
• For those who must evacuate and those who go to shelters, you must tell them what they need to take with them;
• Create pamphlets in various languages listing the necessary items that should be packed- Vanessa
• Within app have a checklist of supplies- Yasmeen
• For those staying in their homes, what they will need to have available.
• Our Toolkit & App – Dee
•

• Where will your neighbors go for the most reliable information?
• App & Twitter page – Dee
• tv – farah
• radio- farah
• How do you get your neighbors to behave/act in the face of a serious threat?
• Utilize personal anecdotes in flyers (observational learning) – Dee
• Provide gas coupons for those evacuating (reinforcement) – Dee
• Provide food coupons & transportation for the elderly (reinforcement) – Vanessa
• Provide incentives (coupons) for those that car pool -Vanessa & group input
• On what theory(ies) will your intervention be based?
• Social Cognitive Theory – Dee
• Social Influence Theory – Dee (per group’s discussion & input)
• Theory of Planned Behavior- Vanessa & group input

• How will you select the theory or theories?
• Based on success of theory implementation in previous works (evidence-based; aka finding supporting articles from researchers that used theories for their own intervention strategies similar to our efforts) – Dee

• Which theory provides the best opportunity for success of the intervention?
For more effective interventions, behavior change theory needs to be further developed in stronger research designs and such change-theory should especially focus on how to promote action rather than mere motivation. Since voluntary behavior change requires motivation, ability as well as the opportunity to change, further development of behavior change theory should incorporate environmental change strategies. farah

• Have any theories been effective or efficacious for this intervention or this type of intervention?

Outline of Report, Check Bb and Syllabus for Deadline
I. Introduction and Background (20%) – Farah & Yasmeen
II. Thorough description of the intervention—objectives, strategies, etc. —following Intervention Mapping Steps 1-5. (30%)
1. Vanessa & Dee
2. Vanessa & Dee
3. Farah & Yasmeen
4. Farah & Yasmeen
5. farah
III. Explanation of theories reviewed, assessed, selected (30%) – Vanessa & Dee
IV. Conclusions/Contributions of each team member (20%) – Everyone
V. References in APA style – Everyone
VI. Assessment of Performance in Groups (one for each student). Please upload to Blackboard. Label your file like this: yourname_APerfG_date. No grade will be assigned until all forms from your group are received.