HSEM Awards Young Artists for Emergency Preparedness - Free 2023 Preparedness Calendars available

Young artists will be granted a Distinguished Service Award at the Austin City Council meeting tonight. Students were selected for publication in the 2023 Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Emergency Preparedness Calendar.

“Of all the life-saving initiatives our department undertakes, the Emergency Preparedness Calendar is one of the most important,” said Juan Ortiz, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department Director. “The opportunity to engage with children and their families early can lead to a lifetime of being better prepared before an emergency. We are building up the next generation for disaster preparedness.”

The Homeland Security and Emergency Management Preparedness Calendar is an initiative that reaches our youngest community members. The contest was open to all Kindergarten through 8th grade students whose school or residence is physically located within the Central Texas area, regardless of the independent school district.

The purpose of the calendar is to reach children at an early age to begin to educate them and their families about emergency preparedness. The 2023 Preparedness Calendar is an all year reminder of the safety measures families can take to be more prepared before an emergency.

Calendars are free and will be distributed at City facilities or in bulk by request while supplies last. Requests to be an Emergency Preparedness Calendar distribution site can be made at hsemcommunications@austintexas.org. Students can submit for the 2024 calendar in early 2023 with more details available soon at austintexas.gov/hsemcalendar.

This year, the department received 54 submissions. A number of honorable mentions are featured on the back cover. The top 13 young artists were selected to be featured by month in the calendar.

2023 Emergency Preparedness Calendar Distinguished Service Award Recipients:

• Erin Tessier, 7^th Grade
• Aryanna Craig, 5^th Grade
• Samantha Duncan, 1^st Grade
• Jack Coleman, 3^rd Grade
• Eliora Wiering, 3^rd Grade
• Ridhann Ramesh, 4^th Grade
• Lennox Gibson, 3^rd Grade
• Solia Martinez, 2^nd Grade
• Daisy Batres, 4^th Grade
• Abram Mireles, Kindergarten
• Mila Mireles, 2^nd Grade
• Niam Patel, 2^nd Grade
• Ethan Huynh, 3^nd Grade