What would you do in an actual emergency? How would you be ready to face a hectic and traumatic situation?

To answer these and other questions, an idea was born and developed after Hurricane Katrina, and has since become known as The Pillowcase Project.

In conjunction with National Emergency Preparedness Month, the Vicenza American Red Cross coordinated the event at the post library Sept. 17 with 33 children in attendance.

The purpose of the event was to teach children from four to 12 years old about the importance of being prepared for emergencies, as well as how to create and pack an emergency kit in a pillowcase.

"As we all know, disasters can strike quickly and without warning," said Mary King, ARC Public Relations and Communications lead.

"While these events can be frightening for adults, they can be traumatic for children, particularly if they don't know what to do," she said.

King explained that in the emergency shelters opened in the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina, volunteer Red Cross shelter workers began to notice a pattern. Many children entered the shelters carrying pillowcases containing their cherished and basic possessions: a stuffed animal, a special blanket, a favorite book, and, in many cases, not much more.

"Generally given as a 60-minute presentation by Red Cross volunteers, the program leads students through a 'learn, practice, share' framework to engage them in disaster preparedness," she continued.

After the presentation, children were provided a pillowcase upon completion of the program in which they were encouraged to build their personal emergency supplies kit.

"The response from the children was very positive. They were engaged and interacted for the entire class, and seemed eager to participate in the creation of their own very creative pillowcase designs," said King.