It’s Hurricane season 2024, with communities cleaning up from Helene as Milton looms close behind.
Girl Scouts are impacted just as any other community group, with camps often suffering immense damage from the wind and storm surge. Troops outside the damage zones have already stepped up to help with donations.
But never fear, the Girl Scouts are ready for anything, including hurricanes. For their Bronze Award Project, for example, Citrus Council’s Troop 2059 made and distributed hurricane preparedness kits.
Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle
Some 20 years ago, the Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle issued Hurricane Preparedness Council’s Own badges for Brownies and Juniors. While these badges are no longer available for purchase, they contained lessons that are still valid today and that can be applied to many disaster scenarios.
Florida Panhandle, headquartered in Tallahassee, was more than familiar with hurricane damage. Hurricane Michael, in 2018, ruined both Camp For All Seasons and the Panama City Service Center.
Florida Panhandle could not afford to repair these facilities and in 2019 merged into Gulfcoast Council, based in Sarasota.
Southeast Florida
The Girl Scout Council of Southeast Florida, based in Lake Worth, also had a weather emergency patches. Storm Readiness was available for Brownies and Juniors in the 2000s.
Their Storm Readiness patch has been updated and is available for purchase.
Tropical Florida and Nassau County NY
Based in Miami, Tropical Florida also has its own patch program about hurricanes. These storms are not confined to the Gulf region, as the Girl Scout Council of Nassau County, New York, focused on educating residents of Long Island.
North Carolina Coastal Pines
North Carolina Coastal Pines focused on emergency relief with a fun patch for troops that assisted with relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Michael in 2019. (I wonder if they donated to Florida Panhandle?)
They also have their own Hurricane Awareness patch program.
Both patches are available through the Online Girl Scout Shop.
Stay safe, everyone!
© 2025 Ann Robertson, writer, editor, Girl Scout historian, but NOT a Girl Scout employee.