With a potentially very active Atlantic hurricane season ahead of us, Stephanie Fox of the American Red Cross offers tips on how people can get prepared before the season kicks in high gear.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Hurricane season begins June 1st on Saturday and national spokesperson Stephanie Fox joins us to discuss preparedness
00:06 Stephanie the Red Cross has been responding to non-stop disasters this spring as communities saw devastation from tornadoes flooding wind and hail
00:15 How are you guys balancing those responses while also getting ready for hurricane season?
00:20 Yeah, it's really crazy to think we had tornadoes across the state of Louisiana and Texas just last night and then tomorrow is the official
00:28 Start of hurricane season. So it has been an
00:31 Insane season to say the least so many folks have lost
00:35 Their belongings their loved ones their livelihoods
00:39 So it should have been truly devastating for those who have been impacted for so many weeks back-to-back
00:44 But the work of the Red Cross never stops. We have been on the ground
00:48 Non-stop to ensure that these folks are being supported
00:51 They're getting the comfort and care the shelter the food the water the support that they need in order to
00:58 Navigate their initial relief navigate their long-term recovery and get everybody ready for what's next
01:04 And while everyone else is getting ready, what do you guys do? What does preparing for hurricane season look like for the Red Cross?
01:11 Preparedness is really a constant thing for us
01:15 We are active in every community across the United States in some form or fashion
01:21 Ensuring that we are coordinating with our local officials
01:24 We have tons of volunteers where 90% volunteer run organization
01:28 We are ensuring we have enough supplies to respond and that there were placing those supplies in
01:33 Central locations which can get to areas that may be most vulnerable or maybe most impacted by a disaster
01:40 Whatever that disaster may be and we're looking at these vulnerable communities to get in there in advance to ensure that we are
01:47 Working with those hyper local communities who are really taking the lead
01:51 We are there to support to ensure from food to hunger to housing that we're trying to really fight things
01:58 From the ground up to ensure that long before a disaster hits they have the resources to be able to recover
02:04 And for people who maybe had to use the hurricane kit last year need to restock or maybe anyone who's new to a hurricane prone
02:12 Area, what can you tell them and what should hurricane season prep look like for them?
02:17 You really need to build two kits one that can sustain your family for about two weeks if you have to evacuate your home
02:23 or really two weeks if you're going to be stuck in your home because
02:27 Grocery stores and and different things in your community may be impacted that should include things like water food copies of important documents
02:36 Cash money people don't think about that a lot. But if there's no power if there's also no ATMs
02:41 You can't use your debit card anywhere
02:43 Extra prescription medication as well and assets and items for those members of your family that may need things that are a little bit more
02:50 Specific so your children those who may have disabilities the elderly just those mobile normal folks
02:55 And then you want to have a kit that is pretty much a go kit something you can grab and go if you need to
03:01 Leave your home can sustain your family for about three days. It has all of those items as well
03:05 So what are some of those?
03:08 Essential items in a hurricane kit. I guess sometimes the trouble I have is they may be things I need right now
03:15 How would you suggest people kind of divvying it up to make sure there's things that they're prepared for?
03:19 But what if they need to also use it currently?
03:21 Now the great part about building an emergency preparedness kit is it doesn't have to be complicated
03:27 It doesn't have to be expensive either
03:29 As you said a lot of the items are things that you're going to use on the daily that you may already have in your
03:33 Home, so take a couple snacks here and there put them in your kit
03:36 Take water bottles that you may already have in your home fill them up with water
03:39 Refresh that water every couple of weeks just to make sure it tastes good and it's nice and fresh
03:44 Take some of those band-aids that you may have
03:46 Some of those wound care items and put it into a bag so you can create your own first-aid kit
03:53 You don't have to go out and buy an extravagant kit
03:56 Of course if you would like to they are available across the market at local retailers
04:00 But you can really build it slow and steady as long as you ensure that that kit is built in advance of
04:06 When that threat is heading towards your community
04:08 National Media Relations lead for the American Red Cross Stephanie Fox
04:13 Thank you so much for joining us again here on AccuWeather Early and I'm sure I'll be checking in during this hurricane season