N.C. County Red Cross Chapter Sets Up Simulated Shelter

June 26--The American Red Cross is preparing for circumstances they hope to avoid this hurricane season.

The Onslow County Chapter of the Red Cross gathered 42 volunteers from nine counties on Wednesday to practice setting up a shelter at Jacksonville Commons Middle School, one of six designated primary emergency shelters in the county. Members of Onslow County EMS also participated in the simulation.

The other five shelters are Swansboro High School, Dixon Middle School, Southwest Middle School, Richlands High School and White Oak High School.

According to Margaret Idol, volunteer coordinator for the Onslow County Red Cross, the shelters can hold approximately 3,000 people. Four additional, overflow shelters have been designated at Blue Creek Elementary School, Dixon High School, Richlands Elementary School and Queens Creek Elementary School.

The exercise was a simulation of what volunteers would actually have to do in case a natural disaster were to strike the area. It included volunteers posing as clients seeking shelter from a storm and Red Cross volunteers making runs to the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River.

The Red Cross has an agreement with the bases to feed its in-shelter civilian population for the first time, should weather permit. Those employed by the Department of Defense in the shelters would receive MREs. Trucks might not be able to make it to the bases if wind speeds are too high, which might cause trucks to tip over, according to Red Cross officials.

"We thank God that we haven't had any hurricanes, so we don't get a chance to do this very often," Idol said. "But, there's certain ways the Red Cross expects our volunteers to act and take care of clients and so every now and then we have to remind ourselves."

Helen Miller, mass care leader for the eastern portion of North Carolina, said she's been working with the Red Cross since 2001 and her first job with the organization was a memorable one: assisting in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack in New York. Miller said she's also worked to assist those affected by Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Miller said in her 13 years working with the Red Cross, one of the most common mistakes she sees people make is staying in their homes as high winds and torrential downpours make it increasingly harder for emergency personnel to reach them and for them to find a safer place to stay.

"They should prepare and go to the shelter in advance, not wait until the height of the storm because it's pouring down rain and it's lightening and you're having 100 mph winds," Miller said. "...And they need to bring their own supplies like ... if they have a blanket and they have their own toothbrush and a change of clothes."

Virginia Kinsman, who has been working with the Red Cross for a decade, said she's also seen people wait until the last minute to seek shelter from storms. According to her, putting an emergency plan in place is essential for all households. Kinsman will be a driver for the Red Cross reaching out to the local military bases.

According to Micheal Francis, response specialist for the Onslow County Red Cross, food is made on a by-need basis for the shelters in the county and a count is taken at the base shelters to determine how many meals need to be made before trucks are sent out.

"If you have to evacuate, don't wait until the last minute to evacuate," Kinsman said. "Just get out there and get it done and if you stay at home, just make sure you have your basic needs, your water, your canned supplies, if you have any pets, make sure they're taking care of and get your home ready for the winds."

One of the volunteers present at the event was Rhett Alligood, an 18-year-old from Washington. Alligood has lived in Eastern North Carolina his whole life and said the reason why his family has made it through every storm so far is because of forward-thinking.

"It's really about being prepared," Alligood said. "Heed all the warnings that you get. Don't take anything for granted."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a relatively quiet hurricane season with a 70 percent chance of 8 to 13 named storms, near or below the average of 12 named storms.

Relatively quiet seasons can make a lot of noise, though, which was the case in 1992 when there were only six named storms -- one of them named Andrew.

At the time, Hurricane Andrew was the costliest storm in United States history, causing more than 60 deaths and $25 billion in damages, according to NOAA.

Copyright 2014 - The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C.