Red Cross Chapters from the Caribbean to the Canadian Border
to participate in Planning Exercise
 
June 9, 2011 Wilmington, DE- Less than two weeks into the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season, the first named hurricane, Hurricane Adrian, has been named a category 1 hurricane with strengthening forecasted.  At 5 AM EDT, the center of Hurricane Adrian was located about 275 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. 
 
It is very timely then that American Red Cross chapters stretching from the Caribbean to the Canadian border are participating in a hurricane readiness exercise on Saturday, June 11. The Delmarva Peninsula Chapter is one of numerous chapters simultaneously testing Red Cross ability to help people if a powerful hurricane were to directly impact the eastern seaboard.
 
The local chapter will open a shelter at the Boys & Girls Club at Oak Orchard in Millsboro, DE on Saturday, June 11 with the help of volunteers from the Community Church of Oak Orchard. The exercise is designed to test how the Red Cross would respond if a hypothetical category 3 hurricane were to create a 4-foot storm surge and cause major flooding for east coast cities.
 
“Just as the Red Cross is getting ready for hurricane season, we’d like everyone in our community to take a few simple steps today to be better prepared,” said Patrick Delaney, Regional Chapter Executive, American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula. “Now is an ideal time to update your family evacuation plan, make an emergency preparedness kit and get better prepared for the 2011 hurricane season. Preparation is the best protection against the dangers of a potential hurricane.”
 
Red Cross officials have dubbed Saturday’s imaginary storm “Hurricane EARL 2.0” after the 2010 hurricane that skimmed along the eastern seaboard last fall. The simulation will portray Earl’s path moving 200 miles west as a Category 3 hurricane having significant impact throughout the region. The Earl 2.0 exercise will leave numerous injuries and deaths in its path, in addition to the expected coastal and river flooding accompanied by widespread residential damage, disruptions to local infrastructure and services.  The goal of this drill is to build capacity here on the Delmarva Peninsula by bringing community partners together and testing the response and preparation systems of the Red Cross.
 
For more tips on preparedness, please visit www.redcross.org.  Interested in becoming a Disaster Volunteer with Red Cross, please call 302.656.6620 ext. 5.