Tropical storm Gustav, which has already killed at least 70 people in Jamaica and Haiti, is now heading for the Gulf of Mexico and the US state of Louisiana.
Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Centre believe that the warm Gulf waters could increase the storm’s power, and that Gustav could become hurricane of level 4 or 5 in the coming 72 hours.
The American Red Cross is ready to offer help and support to the populations that are in the storm’s expected path, and have moved hundreds of mobile feeding trucks into Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The Red Cross is also moving thousands of cots and blankets, tens of thousands of hygiene kits and ready-to-eat meals into the coastal states.
Shelter
Red Cross workers will be moving into the area shortly and operational headquarters are being set up in Dallas (Texas), Baton Rouge (Louisiana), Hattiesburg, (Mississippi) and Montgomery (Alabama). The organization’s main priorities are to offer safe shelter, food, first aid and psychosocial support.
"We are present and ready to help,” says Joseph Becker, senior vice-president of the American Red Cross’s disaster response service. “This storm is unpredictable and could affect a vast geographic area.”
Katrina
Gustav appears some three years after the region was seriously affected by Hurricane Katrina. Becker affirms that the Red Cross learned a lot from Katrina and benefits now from better disaster response systems and a greater number of trained staff and volunteers.
The Red Cross has since tripled its capacity of available disaster response logistics to be closer to the most vulnerable communities and better respond to their needs. |
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Tropical storm Gustav, which has already killed at least 70 people in Jamaica and Haiti, is now heading for the Gulf of Mexico and the US state of Louisiana. (REUTERS/Lee Celano/courtesy www.alertnet.org)
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