Episode 1 of Ready, Prep, Go! Season 3 follows St. Petersburg residents as Hurricane Helene defies expectations and delivers catastrophic flooding instead of another familiar near miss. Pediatric emergency physician and disaster response expert Dr. Beachgem (Meghan Elizabeth Beach Martin, MD) shares how repeated storms blur the line between professional duty and personal loss as her own home floods. Travis Witt, Director of Safety and Emergency Management at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, describes the immense challenge of keeping a children’s hospital operational while staff members cope with damage to their own homes. The episode captures the emotional strain of packing up families, protecting children’s sense of normalcy, and then reporting for hospital ride-out duty as the storm makes landfall. Through personal stories and frontline perspectives, the episode reveals the resilience, sacrifice, and hard decisions required when the water comes in and care cannot stop. Meghan Elizabeth Beach Martin, MD, known to millions as Dr. Beachgem on social media is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and a mom of four. She has built a following of more than 1.3 million by translating complex medical information into clear, practical guidance for parents, a voice that became especially vital during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues well beyond it. Her trusted, no-nonsense approach has led to multiple viral moments, with videos featured by outlets ranging from Good Morning America to Scary Mommy. Most recently, her posts warning about the dangers of wire grill brushes and debunking myths around “dry drowning” have sparked widespread conversation and education. Through her work both in the emergency department and online, Dr. BeachGem bridges frontline medicine and everyday parenting with clarity, credibility, and compassion. Travis Witt brings decades of frontline and leadership experience to his role as Director of Safety and Emergency Management at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. A retired Lieutenant with Saint Petersburg Fire Rescue, he served in a wide range of critical positions, including Safety and Training Officer, Rescue Lieutenant, and Emergency Management leader. During his time with the city, Travis also acted as Planning Section Chief for major large-scale events such as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the St. Pete Pride Parade, helping ensure public safety for hundreds of thousands of attendees. Following his retirement from active fire service, Travis moved into healthcare safety leadership, where his deep operational knowledge continues to guide emergency preparedness and organizational safety strategy. He remains focused on advancing best practices through innovative approaches, modern technology, and proven risk-reduction methods to create safer environments for patients, staff, and the community.
