KSTP meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas and KSTP news anchor Joy Lim Nakrin are collaborating with the Lao Family Community of Minnesota to hold a series of severe weather training sessions targeting the Hmong community, as part of an outreach initiative by the Asian American Journalists Assocation’s Minnesota Chapter.
The kickoff event is 2 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Lao Family Community’s St. Paul location at 320 University Ave. W., St. Paul.
It will be the first of at least three monthly sessions, all of which will have Hmong translators present. Lao Family Community Board Members will facilitate, including President Chupheng Lee and Youth Director Chong Lee.
The sessions target newer immigrants transitioning from Southeast Asia’s climate to one of the most extreme and variable climates in the world: Minnesota. They will cover everything from tornado warnings and sirens, to ice and water safety, to the risks of hypothermia, frostbite and heat exhaustion.
Yuhas will lead the trainings, having spent more than 20 years forecasting weather, including 13 years at KARE-TV before joining KSTP-TV in 2011. A former reserve police officer, Yuhas provides similar trainings to fire and police personnel across Minnesota.