An Array of Emergency Response Tips and Tools are Available to Tennesseans 24/7
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – When disasters affect Tennessee communities, University of Tennessee Extension is there — in person and online — to provide trusted expertise, connect Tennesseans with needed resources and work alongside local and state partners.
To strengthen that support, the UT Institute of Agriculture has launched a new disaster preparedness and recovery website that serves as an easy-to-use information hub for individuals, farms and communities across Tennessee. The website brings together research-based Extension publications and trusted partner resources to help people prepare for emergencies, respond safely and recover.
The website was developed by Shelli Rampold, Extension crisis management and communications specialist and associate professor in the UT Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, in collaboration with Katie Whitehouse, UTIA digital communications specialist.
“One of the main goals for this new website is to have a consistent and reliable all-in-one source for people to use, no matter what type of disaster they are experiencing,” Whitehouse said.
A new Facebook page and logo for the Tennessee Extension Disaster Education Network, or TN EDEN, are also helping make disaster-related Extension information easier to recognize, access and share.
“Extension has an important role in disasters because we are already part of the communities we serve,” Rampold said. “TN EDEN helps us connect the expertise we have across the national Extension network with the people and partners who need it before, during and after a disaster.”
Recent events — including Hurricane Helene and other disasters affecting Tennessee — have reinforced the need for coordinated, locally relevant information. Extension’s statewide presence allows specialists, county Extension agents and partners to connect statewide expertise with needs emerging in affected communities.
Rampold also serves as the point of contact for TN EDEN. The network links Tennessee Extension to the national Extension Disaster Education Network, a collaboration of land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension systems focused on reducing disaster impacts through research-based education, resources and partnerships. Many of the materials featured in UTIA’s new online hub come from this broader network.
“Ultimately, TN EDEN is about connection,” Rampold said. “It connects our Extension professionals to resources, connects our organization with disaster partners and connects Tennesseans with information they can use to prepare for and recover from disasters.”
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.