Central Florida families 'touch a truck' to learn about disaster readiness

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - Saturday in Seminole County's Crane's Roost Park, children and families got the unique experience to touch a truck. "Our son brought home a flyer from school, and we thought it was a great event to come out, enjoy the day, and learning about the weather and all the emergency vehicles," said Gina Fosnot, a Seminole County parent.

Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said the Touch-a-Truck event is designed to give visitors a better sense of who responds during a disaster situation, and how they help. "So we have power trucks, utilities, public works, helicopters that do emergency rescues, ambulances, fire engines, police cars, of course, all the different types of partners that are used during severe weather."

Touch-a-Truck was the kick-off event for this year's Severe Weather Awareness Week. "Severe Weather Awareness Week is a week for us to encourage individuals to prepare for all hazards," said Harris.

This includes fires, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes. At the park, organizers gathered heavy equipment from a wide range of disaster response teams for people to get up close and personal. There were more than 50 organizations and nearly 90 vehicles at the event.

Participants also included groups that help with more than just trucks, like One More Child, which provides aid to disaster-stricken people. "We provide a lot of additional support, including food, and a community response to different areas throughout the state," said Jodi Domangue, who works for the organization, "we really had a big presence in the hurricane that occurred in southwest Florida."