Make Calls Now, Red Cross Urges

By LANE FILLER [email protected]
Friday, September 03, 2004 Page: 1A

WILKES-BARRE – Call friends and family now in Florida to find out where
they plan to ride out Hurricane Frances.

That’s the advice and plea of Amy Gabriel, emergency services director of
the Wyoming Valley chapter of the American Red Cross.
With Hurricane Frances bearing down on Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas
and expected to hit this weekend, the Red Cross is suspending recovery efforts
related to Hurricane Charley to prepare for the new storm.

The Red Cross operates a disaster welfare inquiry in which people can try
to find out if their loved ones are OK after trouble strikes, but Gabriel said
it works best if the caller has some idea where those people are.

“If you know they were staying put, or going to a specific shelter, or
getting out of town, that makes it a lot more likely that we can find them and
let people know they’re all right,” Gabriel said. “Also, to try to keep the
phone lines clear, it’s best if a family designates one person to try to find
out what’s going on, rather than having everyone call.”

Gabriel points out that the system is designed for immediate relatives and
asked that people not call to locate folks whom they aren’t consistently in
touch with.

“And as much as possible, try to convince them to go to safety if you call
them,” Gabriel said. “People in the path of these hurricanes sometimes think
it’s a good idea to stay home and weather the storm, but people up here in
Pennsylvania, out of danger, might be thinking clearer. If you can convince
them to go to safety, do.”

The Wyoming Valley chapter of the American Red Cross can be reached at