Disaster Preparedness and Professional and Personal Challenges of County Extension Faculty During the 2004 Florida Hurricane Season.

The purpose of the study reported here was to determine how well University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension faculty were prepared to deal with professional demands, job expectations and clientele needs, while coping with personal hardships as a result of the 2004 hurricane season. Results indicate that respondents were not well prepared to deal with professional challenges and the emotional symptoms of clientele during the hurricane season. Respondents reported needing training in disaster preparedness, in applying subject matter expertise in disaster situations, and in assisting coworkers to cope with stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]