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Vernon County partners distribute 100 disaster-preparedness kits in Hillsborough event
Summary
A community preparedness event in Hillsborough produced 100 household disaster kits in about 30 minutes, county staff said; partners included local businesses, the American Red Cross and Vern Electric, and the county plans to replicate the model in smaller communities if funding allows.
Vernon County public health staff and community partners reported that a preparedness event in Hillsborough produced 100 household disaster kits for local residents and drew a strong turnout.
Dan Howard of Amplify and county staff described the event as a rapid, collaborative effort in which local businesses and organizations provided supplies matched to community needs. “We set a goal of 100 kits,” one organizer said, and volunteers completed the distribution far faster than planned — staff said the team finished assembling and distributing 100 kits in roughly 31 minutes.
Organizers described contributions from Saint Joe’s (first-aid supplies), the health department (weather radios), Vern Electric and a local manufacturer (small utility items), and an outreach team from the American Red Cross that signed residents up for free smoke-detector installation. The event included educational stations: staffers distributed information about weather radios, first aid and food supply planning at multiple stations, and a local fire department brought apparatus for children to view.
County staff said the rapid pace revealed both strong local demand and a need to improve messaging for future events so more residents can be served. “If the money is there, come fall, we certainly would love to replicate this event again,” one staff member said. Board members suggested holding similar events in smaller communities such as Viola and La Farge.
There was no formal county action associated with the event; staff described it as a partnership between the health department, local businesses and nonprofits. Organizers attributed the success to focused goals (a fixed target of 100 kits), effective partner coordination and quick decision-making.
County staff said they will consider adjustments for future events, including clearer outreach language (for example, “first 100 households” or “while supplies last”) and broader partner recruitment to expand supplies such as bottled water.
