Red Cross launches Statewide Disaster Preparedness Campaign

On Sept. 21, the 25th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo’s devastation inflicted on South Carolina, the American Red Cross will launch a landmark statewide campaign called Prepare SC to better prepare our communities for disasters and to create a stronger, more resilient South Carolina. “The Upstate is vulnerable to severe damage from floods and tornadoes caused by hurricanes that don’t even cross over our region,” says Ann Wright, regional CEO of Red Cross of the Western Carolinas. “Preparation is the best protection against the dangers of a hurricane and other disasters.” South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) estimates a storm of similar intensity on the same path as Hugo would destroy over 21,000 homes. During Hugo, the American Red Cross opened 238 shelters and housed over 46,000 people. Given the population growth in South Carolina since Hugo, Red Cross must be prepared to do even more in the event of another disaster the size of Hugo. Hurricanes are not the only disasters that threaten South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reports that between 1990 and 2013, the annual average of tornadoes was 29 per year in South Carolina. The Red Cross responds to a disaster every 84 minutes in South Carolina and touches over 200,000 lives in our communities every year. The goals of Prepare SC will be to better prepare South Carolinians and to also strengthen Red Cross’ capacity to respond to major disasters. The goals include increasing the number of people trained in preparedness from 19,000 to 38,000, training 100,000 people in lifesaving first aid, CPR and AED skills, increasing the number of volunteers trained for disaster response from 3,000 to 7,000, and increasing community capacity to distribute and serve meals from 150,000 to 300,000 per day. The Red Cross is asking everyone to join them on Sept. 21 and 22 in supporting the Prepare SC campaign by texting REDCROSS at 90999 to donate $10 or by donating online at www.RedCross.org/preparesc.