Draw a tornado, win a contest

The city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is soliciting children’s artwork for its 2022 Emergency Preparedness Calendar. While it may seem a little creepy to ask kids to draw pictures of natural disasters, they probably really like doing it. Don’t all kids like to draw pictures of tornadoes and floods? (It’s the train derailments we’re worried about.) Anyway, the whole point is to help people be more prepared for emergencies, and that’s a good thing. The contest is open to first- through fifth-graders who attend school or live within the Austin city limits, and the deadline is Oct. 1. Read more about artwork guidelines and submitting art here. (BTW, no glitter is allowed – that’s going to break some little hearts.)