'Ready Girl' Saves The Day With Emergency Preparedness Education

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City has a new superhero.

Meet 'Ready Girl,' NYC Emergency Management's super-charged hero, dedicated to spreading the word about disaster preparedness.

Her real identity? Katelyn James, an outreach coordinator for Ready New York, NYCEM's public education campaign.

"When we put it in this context of a superhero they really are interested in and understand it," James said.

According to the NYCEM website, Ready Girl was a regular city kid, until she realized she had superpowers for emergencies after saving her family during Superstorm Sandy.

Now, Ready Girl devotes her time to spreading awareness to students across the city.

CBS2's Vanessa Murdock visited Ready Girl on her trip to the St. Brigid School in the East Village.

The students seemed to love learning from their new superhero.

At the presentation, James showed students they types of supplies they would need in case there was an emergency. She invited students to pull supplies out of her handy 'Go Bag' backpack -- items like extra batteries, toiletries, a radio -- and even some toys.

The room of elementary-school students erupted into laughter as one volunteer pulled a rubber chicken out of Ready Girl's bag -- providing some lightheartedness to the lesson.

"What makes her awesome she is always prepared," student Valerie Miranda, 8, said.

At the end of the presentation, 'Ready Girl' handed out drawstring bags with items like emergency flashlights, and signed autographs for the students.

"One day I want to be prepared just like Ready Girl," Miranda said.

For more information on Ready Girl visit: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/em/ready/ready-girl.page