Red Cross and CDC: Now is the Time to Prepare for Hurricanes and Flu Season

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 — As the American Red Cross ramps up for another hurricane season, disaster response this year could bring an unusual complication: widespread flu caused by the swine flu (H1N1) virus.

" We in the Red Cross are very aware that not only are we as a country responding to H1N1, but we have to continue to respond to disasters in that environment, says Joe Becker, Senior Vice President of Disaster Services for the American Red Cross. We need to make sure that were ready not to be agents that are spreading the flu or not that were agents that are exacerbating the situation, but instead that we are alleviating a need in an extraordinary environment."

For disaster responders, this flu precaution requires an additional layer of planning.

" When it comes to hurricane season when there are shelters, were going to be screening (for people with flu-like symptoms) to try to identify people who are coming into shelters so that they dont affect the rest of the population," says Dr. Richard Besser, Director of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). " It is really important that people are open and honest not only so they can get treatment, but also so they dont get other people ill."

As Becker and Besser spoke at a panel discussion Tuesday morning at the National Press Club, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies was releasing the World Disasters Report 2009: Early Warning, Early Action to highlight the importance of preparing for potential disasters before they happen.

More than 200 million people around the world were affected by disasters last year. In the Americas alone, more people were affected by disaster in 2008 than in any year in the previous decade. About 15 million people suffered through floods and hurricanes, rendering many homeless and without basic essentials.

The National Hurricane Center predicts that 2009 will be an average year, with be four to six hurricanes, with one to three of them will cause major damage. The Red Cross is prepositioning relief supplies and is prepared to shelter and feed 500,000 people, four times more than the organization had to shelter during its busiest night after Hurricane Katrina.

Many communities in the Caribbean are also vulnerable and the American Red Cross is working with other Red Cross societies in the region to help them prepare for the storms as well.

" Two weeks ago, we put together a disaster management meeting in Trinidad where we brought different Red Cross societies in the Caribbean together to work not only with the American Red Cross but also different members of the Movement and also with different donors to also understand what we can do better and how we can be better prepared for this hurricane season. said Guillermo Garcia, Manager of the Latin America and Caribbean Region for the American Red Cross. We put together a very interesting strategy for the next five year to develop and to move forward in strengthening these societies."

Besser says that he is worried about complacency both with the flu and with hurricane preparedness. He was concerned that people might not heed early hurricane warnings because several storms last year were not as severe as originally predicted, and noted that he was worried that some people might not take flu warnings as seriously in the fall because the first outbreak was not as deadly as it might have been.

" What I worried about after those hurricanes did not have as big an impact as predicted was that people would become complacent and say why do I need to listen next time? Besser says. You need to listen because it is not an absolute science, as the government we give our best recommendation it terms of what people need to do. Its very important that people trust were going to be honest and open with the information we have and that people follow those recommendations because last years hurricane does not predict this years hurricane."

Becker says in addition to community efforts, people need to look at their own situation. Preparing for the potential confluence of disasters over the next six months is similar to preparing for all disasters: 1. Have a plan for your family know what you will do to care for everyone and where you will go.
2. Have a kit with enough supplies to evacuate or shelter in place if needed.
3. Know how you will keep up to date with latest information from emergency officials during a crisis.

Since fall months tend to bring the flu season, to avoid making other people sick, two more steps should be added in to prepare for pandemic flu: Wash your hands frequently with soap and water and staying home if you have flu symptoms to avoid infecting others.

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