Red Cross Red Crescent gets ready for 2008 hurricane season

The Red Cross Red Crescent in the Americas is preparing for what the experts forecast will be yet another busy hurricane season.

The number of hurricanes forecast continues to rise every year. It is predicted that there will be 15 named storms in 2008, four of which are expected to be severe - that is, category 3, 4 or 5.

Representatives of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the 25 Red Cross societies in Central America and the Caribbean, in addition to those from other regions, United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations, are gathering from today (2 June) in Panama to prepare for the disasters that may occur during this hurricane season.

The Red Cross is working to identify challenges and analyse operational constraints that could affect the hurricane response, as a follow-up to a 2007 meeting that focused on the analysis of contingency plans and coordination.

“This year, the Red Cross response system is more closely focused on needs in order to ensure a better, faster and more effective response, and this requires work within and outside the Red Cross,” said Darío Álvarez, head of the IFRC’s Pan American Disaster Response Unit.

“People come first, and this means that it is necessary to cooperate with other humanitarian agencies, governments and communities in order to minimize the obstacles that often prevent assistance from getting through immediately.” .

In the last season, three hurricanes (Dean, Felix and Noel) affected 14 countries in the region. Thanks to the contributions of donors and the general public, the IFRC mobilized around six million Swiss francs (approximately 5,769,000 US dollars). These contributions helped some 180,000 people in the affected countries.

In the North Atlantic, the hurricane season officially begins on 1 June and lasts until 30 November, although past events indicate that the formation of storms can be expected before and even after this period.

“Experience has shown that being prepared saves lives,” said José García-Lozano, the IFRC’s head of zone for the Americas.

“Preparedness involves a wide range of measures from evacuation plans to stocking drinking water, food and blankets in areas that are likely to be affected. The better prepared aid organizations, communities and individuals are, the safer people will be in the long run.”.

The IFRC’s Pan American Disaster Response Unit, based in Panama, currently has the capacity to meet the needs of approximately 125,000 people in the event of a disaster and has stocks of relief supplies, including reinforced plastic, kitchen utensils, hygiene items and equipment for storing drinking water.

The first to respond in the hurricane season are the thousands of Red Cross volunteers in the region along with the members of the communities themselves.

The key to effective preparedness is not only to work in coordination with the people involved, but also with other national institutions in order to optimize disaster prevention and preparedness efforts.