Red Cross in the Americas ready for hurricane season

Aid agencies in the Americas, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, are gearing up for what experts say could be a busy hurricane season in the Atlantic.

For four days in May (14-17), Red Cross representatives from the International Federation, as well as 25 Central American and Caribbean Red Cross National Societies, met in Panama to discuss disaster preparedness and focus on revising contingency and co-ordination plans in anticipation of what some forecasters say could be an especially active year.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially started on June 1, and meteorological experts have predicted that the Caribbean and Central America could experience above average levels of activity.

Experts’ forecast that the season, which lasts until the end of November, will produce between  13 and 16 named tropical storms, with eight to ten of these becoming hurricanes, of which four to six may be classified as major hurricanes.

Members of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department (DG ECHO), the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI), and the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) among others also took part in the meeting.

Stephen McAndrew, Head of the International Federation’s Pan-American Disaster Response Unit, said the aim of the meeting was to remind people in the region of the importance of being prepared.

“Because 2006 turned out to be an average year for hurricanes, we are concerned that many residents may let their guard down and will not be ready for this season,” he said.

“We know from past experience that preparedness save lives. From having evacuation plans in place to pre-positioning stocks of drinking water, food and blankets in areas that could be hit, the more aid agencies, communities and individuals prepare now, the safer people will be in the long run.”

Participants at the Panama conference also discussed issues such as shelter, humanitarian reform and the relief challenges posed by climate change, which has led to an increase in the intensity and frequency of storms worldwide.

Mr Pablo Suarez, of the Red Cross Red Crescent Centre on Climate Change said the climate is changing rapidly and in unprecedented ways.

“With Climate Change and global warming, there is more energy available. It is hotter and water evaporates faster. Strange things are happening.”

He explained that while climate change was an environmental problem it is affecting livelihoods. He noted one example in Bolivia where 67 rivers dry up ever so often when there is no rain.

“Patterns are changing. Hurricane seasons are longer. Hurricanes and storms are happening in places that never experienced such phenomenon. There was a tropical cyclone in the South Atlantic area and Brazil was not prepared for this.”

Suarez said the Red Cross will have to work in new ways and “we are not very prepared.” “Climate Change is going to have an impact on health and resources among other areas. There is going to be more insect borne diseases and more vulnerable communities are going to be affected.”