TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - As severe weather continues to threaten our area, one thing is on many people's minds, how can I get truly prepared?
The City of Tallahassee and Leon County's fourth annual Build Your Bucket event was back to help people do just that.
800 people left with hands full of hurricane preparedness supplies Saturday at the Build Your Bucket event. That's double last year's amount.
One of them, Jasmine Carnell, says it was shocking to experience a hurricane her first year living in Florida.
"And I was actually in a city where there was a lot of flooding and you couldn't drink the water and we had no electricity," said Carnell.
Carnell says, she came to this event to become more serious and informed about what she can do to keep herself and others safe during a disaster.
"I learned a lot from that experience and definitely don't look forward to any repeats, but it's all about preparedness," said Carnell.
This year was a family-friendly expo with 40 community response groups sharing information and supplies.
Children learned how to stay safe in an emergency and who they should call during those situations.
"I learned the number 211. So to call 211 if you need help on the weather and stuff," said Kennedy and Garrett Turner, who attended the Build Your Bucket event.
Even local businesses participate, saying they want to give back to the community by helping them feel prepared.
Tadlock Roofing gave away 500 tarps.
"Heaven forbid something happens to their roof during hurricane season, they are equipped with at least a tarp to help patch it up," said Meagan Nixon, Tadlock Roofing Marketing Director.
In the end, everyone left the Build Your Bucket event feeling empowered to be prepared for this hurricane season.
There weren't enough supplies at Saturday's event to accommodate the nearly 2,000 people who showed up.
Those who didn't get buckets were given bags to collect supplies from local resources.
