Red Cross ready for severe weather response in South

AccuWeather

Stephanie Fox of the Red Cross updates her organization's response to the severe weather threat throughout the southern U.S. They've already provided assistance to those impacted by the storms.

Transcript

00:00The American Red Cross is always ready to provide help following weather

00:04emergencies and Stephanie Fox is joining us

00:06right now from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Stephanie, thank you for making time for

00:09us here on a Saturday. Very dangerous setup across the south.

00:13So what kind of weather are you experiencing

00:16statewide there in in Louisiana in your community

00:19and what kinds of the need have you found

00:22arising out of this? So today we've seen numerous tornado warnings starting

00:28this morning over in central and northern Louisiana

00:31and now we're focusing on north part of the sections just above

00:36Lake Pontchartrain leading into Mississippi.

00:40These storms have been extremely volatile. They have been rotating

00:44and producing tornadoes or at least producing damaging winds.

00:48So things have been just very treacherous

00:51all day and those conditions are expected to continue

00:55over the next many hours and into the overnight as the storm system continues

00:59to move north and east and it's just really important

01:02for folks to be heeding the direction of local officials

01:05around them. We are still working with folks who've

01:08been impacted prior to this to ensure that they are getting

01:12assistance across the states that have seen those

01:14direct impacts. And Stephanie, deadly tornadoes struck

01:18Missouri and other states had significant damage overnight. Where will

01:20the Red Cross be sending help over the next few days?

01:24So we have been in these communities long before this tornado outbreak

01:28occurred and we're going to continue being in these communities long after.

01:31There are numerous shelters set up for communities that were impacted by not

01:35only these strong winds and tornadoes from last night

01:38but also the wildfires that struck in areas of Oklahoma and Missouri and Texas.

01:42So for folks who need assistance they can

01:44contact the Red Cross by downloading the emergency app, call

01:48away at Hunter Red Cross to find those shelter locations

01:51and of course if they have been impacted by these storms and need

01:54assistance please call 1-800 Red Cross so we can

01:56get working with you. And the American Red Cross always stresses

02:00safety and preparedness. So what are some reminders for before severe weather

02:04reaches your home and other tips to stay safe during and

02:07after the weather event? It is absolutely essential that everybody

02:11has a way to receive warnings today and into the overnight

02:15hours. Something that's going to wake you up and get your attention.

02:18So download your favorite weather app. Ensure that you have those emergency

02:22alerts activated on your cell phones. The Red Cross emergency app is a great

02:26one to download. It will provide push notifications for folks as those

02:30warnings are issued in their areas. Also understanding that terminology

02:33whether it's a watch or a warning and what kind of activities that should

02:36trigger for folks as they are in these impacted areas.

02:40Make sure you are not traveling and out on the road unless you absolutely have

02:43to be. Even in areas where we are not seeing

02:45direct impacts from tornadoes. You can see behind me it is

02:49incredibly windy. There's lots of rain so it has the

02:52potential for travel to be treacherous. Make sure you have your emergency

02:55preparedness kit that you are keeping tabs on your pets who could be

03:00afraid with these storms as well as your

03:03children who are not going to have the coping mechanisms to kind of

03:07deal with this. So it's really essential that folks heed the

03:10direction of their local national weather service,

03:13of their local meteorologists and ensure that they are

03:16staying in tune with ways to know what's going on.

03:19All right we appreciate your insight and especially all that you do.

03:22Stephanie Fox, spokesperson with the American Red Cross. You're always

03:25fighting a good fight. Thanks again Stephanie. Thank you.

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