Our inspiration to host this workshop is rooted in a four letter word: Love. It is the love of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan seeking to protect us from hurt or harm by consistently warning us to watch the weather,” said Student Minister Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad. Mr. Muhammad serves as the Southwest Regional Minister of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and The Nation of Islam. He delivered the introductory words for the October 17th disaster preparedness and family readiness workshop, hosted at Muhammad Mosque No. 45 located at 4443 Old Spanish Trail. “ the pattern of God is always the same. It is that He fights with the forces of nature; rain, hail, snow, earthquake as the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us. Whether you subscribe to our spiritual view of current events or not, this is one thing you cannot ignore: We’re experiencing unusual weather,” he said.
The city of Houston has experienced costly disasters in the last several years and the entire country is getting hit even harder. According to summer news reports, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is facing turbulent times with staffing losses, leadership vacancies, and questions of whether the agency would even be able to e effectively respond during the hurricane season. So instead of waiting for FEMA, the workshop organizers and trainers took an initiative-taking approach in providing practical information and hands-on guidance to empower the community. It was also streamed nationwide on Facebook Live.
The skilled trainers and interactive modules included Christina and Reginald Muhammad (Communications, Weather Monitoring & Emergency Information), Renae A. Muhammad (First Aid), Lasaundra Nicole X Blakes (CPR/ First Aid), Debbie Muhammad (Go-Bag Preparation), Terry X Riley (Grid-Down Food Survival, Water Storage & Puri cation), Alprentice X Blanks (CPR/AED, Active Shooter Preparedness & Emergency Response) and Jevon X Nelson (Active Shooter Preparedness & Response).
Councilwoman Carolyn Evans-Shabazz (District D) shared words of support and the City of Houston and Harris County Offices of Disaster Management provided free preparedness materials. Exhibitors and food vendors were on site as well. For more information on preparedness basics, future workshops, free online courses and more, become a weather watchman for your family and your neighborhood by signing up at WeatherWatchmen.org
