THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607260212
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 58 lines
Visitors to the Chesapeake Central Library next week can hear a discussion of hurricane preparedness and view a working model of a water purifier that utilizes reverse osmosis membrane technology.
On Aug. 6, there will be a two-hour session called ``Hurricane Alert,'' which will feature a panel of experts on what to do before, during and after a hurricane strikes.
``After Bertha, I made the comment that I don't take hurricanes very seriously since I grew up in a place that's not plagued by them,'' said Elizabeth Griffing, adult programmer for the library. ``And the one that did come through, Bertha, wasn't all that destructive. But I do know they are very serious and that we should all take them very seriously. That's how this program began.''
From there, Griffing talked to Trisha Chappell with the Chesapeake Fire Department's Fire Prevention Bureau to round up a list of possible guest speakers.
``We got together and came up with ideas of who we wanted to speak and what subjects we should include,'' she said.
The 7 p.m. event will include Chesapeake City Councilman Alan P. Krasnoff as moderator and Jim Lawrence, meteorologist with WAVY-TV, Channel 10.
Lawrence will discuss how hurricanes grow and form, what to watch out for when tracking a storm, the lives and habits of hurricanes, the different stages of a hurricane and its different power levels and how hurricanes can impact an area like Hampton Roads.
In addition, the evening will include information from representatives with the National Flood Insurance Program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross, the Chesapeake Planning Department, the Chesapeake Fire Department's Emergency Services and Preparedness Division, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Chesapeake Humane Society and Region III of the State Department of Emergency Services.
``In rounding up these people, we're attempting to cover all subjects when it comes to hurricanes, preparing for them and the aftermath,'' she said.
The library staff will create a bibliography offering book and video titles about hurricanes and hurricane preparedness.
Griffing said the session will be videotaped by the city's Channel 23 public affairs television station for future use and broadcasts.
On Aug. 7, the library will be host to another of its ``Lunch and Learn'' sessions, held on the first Wednesday of each month on subjects of interest to adults including gardening, tax preparation and other utilitarian subjects.
During the noon hour, the library will bring in Jerry Hoddinott with the Chesapeake Public Utilities Department who will and explain the city's new reverse osmosis membrane technology.
Griffing said Hoddinott will bring in a working model showing off the process.
``We felt this is of great interest to folks in Chesapeake,'' Griffing said. ``You can't get any more basic than talking about the water we use every day and how it will be purified in the future.''
The library's adult education programs are designed to offer adults ``important or desired programs that will be of some use and at the same time we get them into the library so they can see what books and services we have to offer,'' Griffing said. by CNB