Red Cross ties N.C. coastline together

The Eastern North Carolina Region has grown.With the addition of New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick,Duplin and Columbus counties, the region incorporates the entire North Carolina coastline. This new regional concept will go into effect once a new regional executive is hired.

With hurricane response now consolidated into one region, the Red Cross will be better able to prepare for hurricanes and deploy resources all along the North Carolina coastline. A big job just got bigger.

Hurricane Irene last fall came ashore within the old regional boundaries, but other hurricanes in the past, particularly Hurricane Fran in 1996, have struck along the mouth of the Cape Fear River and moved northwestward through the Eastern North Carolina Region. With the Cape Fear Chapter, which had been under the regional supervision of the Triangle (Raleigh) Chapter, now part of the Eastern North Carolina Region, the entire coastline will be under the supervision of one regional executive.

Thanks to volunteers as Hurricane Season ends

Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of disaster services for the American Red Cross, has sent an email to Red Cross volunteers and staff thanking them for their work during Hurricane Season and throughout the year.

Here is a portion of that email:

As we reach the end of another Atlantic hurricane season, I want to say thank you to all the disaster services volunteer staff and paid staff that stood tall during the storms.  We have not experienced a hurricane that swept across the eastern seaboard since Hurricane Isabel in 2003.  While Irene proved to be less than predicted, it caused millions of people in over fifteen states to think about disaster preparedness, to access Red Cross shelter information, and to seek assistance with disaster-caused needs through you and your colleagues in Red Cross vests.

Throughout the hurricane season, and during the spring storms of 2011, you were there for our constituents.  24,000 disaster volunteers accepted Level 2+ disaster assignments so far this year, and thousands of you also volunteered on countless single family disaster emergencies in regions across the country. ...

While our Atlantic Hurricane season comes to an end, our readiness does not.  Disaster preparedness and response are a constant occupation.  Unlike the hurricane seasons, sudden onset disasters, flash floods, tornadoes and man-made catastrophes come with little or no warning.  We must be constantly ready, fully prepared and available to respond anywhere and at any time.  The American public expects nothing less, and we are privileged to have their confidence and support during times of disaster.

Things you learn when surviving a hurricane

Here we are again, huddled up indoors while a hurricane rages outside. Folks of a certain age learn a few things about surviving a hurricane, and this axiom applies to folks who are 100 miles inland as well as those along the coast.

If you're not evacuating and are instead staying at home, here are some things I learned about getting through a hurricane, courtesy of Fran in 1996 and Floyd in 1999.

1. Expect electricity to be out, at least for a while. With Fran and Floyd, my wife and I went without electricity for nearly a week each time.

2. Invest in some lights that will actually provide enough illumination to read. When you can't watch TV or listen to the radio or stereo, being able to read is important. Electric lanterns that throw a circle of light are best for reading. Regular flashlights don't work very well at all, and neither do oil lanterns or candles.

3. A gas hot-water heater will allow you to take showers even when the electricity has been off for days and days. You can survive cold showers, but a hot shower is a wonderful luxury when the house is dark.

4. A gas stove is also preferable to an electric stove when the electricity goes off. Although the coffee maker might not work after the power goes off, you can use a gas stove to heat water and make tea or coffee the hard way. If the electricity is off long enough, you'll get used to it. A gas stove also allows you to cook meals. The microwave won't work, but you can cook a lot of nutritious food on the cooktop.

5. You might be able to find a gas-powered refrigerator. These are not common in North Carolina, and I've never used one, but that concept really sounds great after the electricity has been out a few days and the frozen foods are starting to thaw.

The Red Cross urges people to prepare for emergencies. A gas stove and gas water heater are good preparation steps for the next hurricane or other power outage.

Spontaneous volunteers

With Hurricane Irene lurking in the Atlantic, the American Red Cross is preparing for the probability that shelters will have to be opened for evacuees. The  Frederick E. Turnage Chapter (Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson, Halifax and Northampton counties) has tentatively scheduled a Friday morning class for spontaneous volunteers -- people who have not previously volunteered with Red Cross but who want to help out during the hurricane. To sign up for the class, call 252-237-2171 or 252-977-1720. All volunteers will undergo a background check. Callers will be notified about class time and location.

Other chapters may also be accepting spontaneous volunteers. Call your local chapter for more information.

The Red Cross in eastern North Carolina will be ready

Welcome to the new Eastern North Carolina Red Cross blog. Come back often, as we hope to have a steady flow of information and advice. Hurricane season is under way, and that's not the hockey-playing kind of hurricanes. Eastern North Carolina has been fortunate in recent years to have avoided major, direct hits from hurricanes, but eastern North Carolina is always vulnerable. Chapters in eastern North Carolina prepare for hurricanes by training volunteers, arranging for the use of buildings, such as school gymnasiums, for sheltering evacuees, and signing contracts with food vendors to feed evacuees.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies, and that is especially true in eastern North Carolina during hurricane season.
To learn what you should do to be ready for a hurricane, go here.