Texas Border Business
By Selene Rodriguez
South Texas College recently hosted the seventh annual Disaster Ready Expo, an event that brings together local experts and agencies to educate the community on preventing and responding to emergency events and weather-related crises.
Held at STC’s Mid-Valley Campus in Weslaco, the event attracted nearly 100 attendees who learned life-saving information on topics such as emergency supplies, weather monitoring, evacuation procedures and fire safety.
“It’s important for us as an educational institution to provide these opportunities for the community to learn and be prepared,” said Meteorologist and STC Physical Science faculty member Jeremy Hinck. “We don’t want to wait until after the fact. During a disaster, you are the first responder at home before agencies can step in. We want people to understand this information and know what to do when a disaster strikes.”
This year’s event featured a variety of expert speakers, including KRGV Meteorologist Tim Smith, Telemundo 40 Meteorologists Brenda Cantu and Gabriela Gutierrez, Weslaco Fire Chief Antonio Lopez and Hidalgo County Precinct 1 Commissioner David Fuentes, who encouraged attendees to advocate for safety improvements such as proper drainage systems and infrastructure that can help prevent flooding and reduce hazards.
Other participants included the American Red Cross, offering free smoke alarm installations and the Weslaco Police Department, which brought their therapy dog, Officer Shayne, to emphasize the importance of mental health care after a disaster.
“Officer Shayne is trained to detect cortisol, a stress hormone, and helps calm the most stressed individuals in a crowd,” explained Weslaco Police Officer Roberto Rodriguez. “He’s beloved by the community, not just in Weslaco but across Texas. He brings comfort and smiles to those in crisis and that’s beautiful. I believe that if we can brighten someone’s day, no matter the circumstances, we’ve done our job.”
Launched in 2017, the Disaster Ready Expo was inspired by Hinck’s desire to bring disaster preparedness information to the Rio Grande Valley. This year, many attendees were high school students from Brownsville, Mission and Progreso.
“I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about floods, how important it is to report blocked drains and how much damage they can cause,” said Enrique Hernandez, a student from Homer Hanna Early College High School in Brownsville. “I was also surprised by how often these things happen. It’s pretty cool to learn so much about hurricanes and weather.”
Student Alonso De Leon from Veterans Memorial High School in Mission also shared his excitement, eager to pass on the knowledge to his family.
“It was fascinating to learn about hurricanes, how they form and how they impact us,” he said. “We don’t really talk about this every day, so it’s amazing to take this new knowledge and share it with my family. Now we can all be better prepared and take care of ourselves as a community.”
Barry Goldsmith, a longtime Disaster Expo participant from the National Weather Service RGV, also emphasized the importance of understanding weather patterns and their impact on the community.
“This is crucial information,” he said. “With this knowledge, people can protect their lives and the lives of their loved ones. From thunderstorms to hurricanes and everything in between, we’re proud to share this information to help strengthen our community’s preparedness.”
