KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The AgCenter Resilience & Readiness Initiative (ARRI) is helping Louisiana communities prepare for hurricanes, floods, and other severe weather by strengthening disaster preparedness capacity within the LSU AgCenter’s Extension network.
With support from a Development Grant from the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), the project trained more than 114 Extension professionals and expanded access to preparedness tools and community resilience resources statewide.
Louisiana experiences frequent extreme weather events that cause significant damage to homes, infrastructure, and local economies. ARRI was designed to equip Extension professionals with practical training and communication tools so they can better support residents before, during, and after disasters.
“ARRI enabled us to put simple, ready-to-use preparedness tools in the hands of the people our communities trust most, ouer Extension agents. When the next storm threatens, they can deploy training, templates, and messages to help families prepare and recover,” said Meggan Franks, project lead with the LSU AgCenter LaHouse Research and Education Center.
The project produced several key deliverables designed to support Extension professionals and local communities across the state, including:
- Community Resiliency Toolkit: A centralized online repository of preparedness and recovery resources covering hazards such as wind, flooding, and winter storms. The toolkit includes materials for homeowners, community leaders, and educators, including youth-focused curriculum aligned with science education standards.
- Professional Training Workshops: Four regional workshops and one statewide training session that brought together Extension professionals across agriculture and natural resources, youth development, and nutrition and community health programs to build practical disaster preparedness skills.
- Social Media Preparedness Playbook: A plug-and-play communication guide providing graphics and messaging designed for Extension offices to share before, during, and after severe weather events. Content was written at a seventh-grade reading level to ensure accessibility and practical use across communities.
Evaluation data collected during the project showed substantial increases in participant knowledge across key resilience topics, including wind and flood preparedness and resilient housing practices. In several topic areas, participant knowledge increased by more than 60 percent following training.
The project also conducted a statewide needs assessment with Extension professionals representing more than 50 Louisiana parishes. Findings highlighted regional differences in disaster preparedness needs—from hurricane and flood resilience in coastal areas to tornado, winter storm, and drought preparedness in northern parts of the state—helping guide the development of regionally relevant resources.
By expanding the tools and training available to Extension professionals, the initiative strengthens Louisiana’s capacity to respond to disasters while improving access to preparedness information for rural and underserved communities.
Project results and resources will be shared through the EDEN network and Extension communication channels, including online resource repositories, social media outreach, and professional presentations. Materials developed through the project will remain available through the LSU AgCenter website and EDEN resource platforms, ensuring continued access for Extension professionals and community partners.
“This project demonstrates the power of Extension to translate research and preparedness guidance into practical tools communities can use,” said Fred Schlutt, EDEN Project Manager. “By strengthening Extension capacity at the local level, initiatives like ARRI help communities better withstand and recover from disasters.”
To learn more about the EDEN Development Grants Program, visit the EDEN website at extensiondisaster.net.
###
About EDEN
EDEN is a collaborative network of Cooperative Extension educators across the United States and territories who work to improve the delivery of education and information and the availability of resources related to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Historically, this grassroots network has been aligned with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) and supported by USDA NIFA through the Food and Agricultural Defense Initiative (FADI) grant.
The Extension Foundation, in partnership with the Cooperative Extension System, supports the administration of the FADI-EDEN project. Learn more about EDEN here.
Media Contact:
Ruth Inman
EDEN Marketing and Outreach Coordinator
gro.noisnetxe@namnihtur
405-612-7639
