Hernando County opens HERricane camp for girls entering grades 6 to 12

Hernando County is opening a hands-on path into emergency management for girls who may one day help lead the county through hurricanes, evacuations and recovery. HERricane HERnando 2026 will bring girls entering grades 6 through 12 to the Hernando County Emergency Operations Center in Brooksville for five days of CPR training, disaster preparedness, crisis communications, leadership workshops and direct contact with public safety professionals.

Applications opened May 13 for the camp, which will run June 22-26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 18900 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville, FL 34601. Spots are limited, and applications are due by June 1.

The county is offering the camp free of charge with support from the Duke Energy Foundation and KPMG. Officials are pitching it as more than a summer activity. It is meant to introduce middle and high school girls to emergency management careers while giving them practical skills they can use at home, at school and in their neighborhoods when storms threaten.

Emergency Management Director Erin Thomas said the camp is intended to show girls they can lead "exactly as they are" and that leadership means showing up, serving others, solving problems and believing they can make a difference. That message fits a county where hurricane readiness is a recurring concern and where public safety work often happens long before the first storm watch goes up.

Hernando County Emergency Management says its mission is to foster resilience across the whole community by building and sustaining the capability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to and recover from all hazards. HERricane HERnando fits squarely inside that mission by turning preparedness into something young people can see, practice and remember.

The camp also comes as the county keeps storm preparation in front of residents. Hernando County hosted its annual Hurricane & Safety Expo on April 26 and announced hurricane preparedness and recovery community workshops on May 14, both part of a spring push to get families thinking about supplies, safety plans and response options before peak season arrives.

For families looking for a summer program with immediate practical value, HERricane HERnando offers something rare: a free week of storm-readiness training, leadership development and exposure to careers in public service at the county’s own emergency operations center.