FEMA warns Americans not to be ‘complacent’ as Francine becomes 6th named storm

WASHINGTON — Amid National Preparedness Month, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell is warning Americans not to be complacent.

From wildfires to tropical cyclones and winter storms, Criswell said severe weather event are becoming more frequent across the country, adding that there have already been almost 20 confirmed weather disasters this year, costing dozens of lives and billions of dollars.

Channel 2 Washington Correspondent Nicole D’Antonio spoke to Criswell about how to be prepared for severe weather events and what to do to keep your families, and belongings, safe.

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It’s the middle of peak hurricane season and Criswell said families should prepare before disasters hit.

“We had predicted a very busy hurricane season this year. While Francine is our sixth named storm, I don’t want people to get complacent. This is the busiest time of the year right now for hurricane season and it just takes one storm to have a dramatic impact on somebody’s life,” the FEMA director said.

Forecasters have said Francine is gaining strength and could reach the force of a Category 2 storm by landfall.

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In other parts of the U.S., wildfires in California and Nevada have led to mandatory evacuations of thousands of homes, and those are just two of the natural disasters being monitored this week.

FEMA said the U.S. has already had 19 climate disasters this year, and each one has cost more than $1 billion for the communities they’ve impacted.

With September being National Preparedness Month, experts say it’s important to put together an individual emergency plan for your family.

“Know what their personal needs are. Do they have personal medication that needs to be refrigerated or do they have a medical device that needs, or requires power. And then make that plan for them specifically, specific to them, their needs their risks,” Criswell told Channel 2 Action News.

The FEMA administrator said putting together a kit with items that won’t be available, or hard to find, during an emergency is recommended and that you should also sign up to get weather alerts.

For additional resources, head online here to see what you may need, and what you can get.

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