Red Cross societies across the Americas are ready to help communities withstand the 2009 hurricane season through careful disaster preparedness planning including the pre-positioning of relief stocks in vulnerable areas.
The 2009 season officially got underway on 1 June and is expected to last until the end of November. Experts have forecast a 70 per cent chance of as many as 14 tropical storms during this period, half of which may develop into hurricanes. Three of these hurricanes may reach category 3, 4 or 5.
Disaster preparedness saves lives and is much more cost-effective than expensive recovery efforts. Red Cross experts across the Americas have developed early warning and evacuation plans, while supplies of fresh water, food and blankets have been pre-positioned in areas that may be affected by the coming storms.
News
10 November 2009 El Salvador – Red Cross attempts to reach isolated communities Three days after severe flooding devastated five departments in central El Salvador, the Salvadorean Red Cross (SRC) continues to search for and rescue survivors, distribute emergency relief to affected families, and carry out preliminary assessments of damages to homes and infrastructures caused by floods and landslides. (...) Full story
Disaster management
