Families Should Visit Ready.gov or Listo.gov (Spanish) to Prepare for Hurricanes and Severe Weather
WASHINGTON – As Hurricane Earl moves toward Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is closely monitoring the storm and stands ready to support commonwealth and territorial officials in the region to ensure they have the resources to respond if needed. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Earl is now a Category 3 hurricane. FEMA continues to urge everyone in the region to take steps now to ensure they are prepared for possible severe weather, and remember that hurricanes and tropical storms frequently bring flash flooding as well. Anyone can visit www.ready.gov to learn more about how to prepare for an emergency. A Spanish version of the website is available at www.listo.gov.
“We continue to monitor the storm and stay in close contact with commonwealth and territorial emergency management officials in the region to ensure they have the resources to respond if needed,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “Our priority, as always, is to make sure that we are supporting local efforts as they work to keep residents and communities safe. It’s important that everyone in the area follow the instructions of local officials, and if you have not already done so, visit Ready.gov to learn how to ensure your family is prepared for an emergency.”
While there currently are no coastal watches or warnings in effect for the United States mainland, history has shown that storm tracks can change quickly and unexpectedly, and FEMA has been coordinating through its regional offices along the East Coast to aggressively prepare should the region experience severe weather.
The National Weather Service remains the source of official severe weather watches and warnings, including flash flooding which can take only a few minutes to develop in the case of heavy rains.
FEMA encourages all individuals in the region to listen to NOAA Weather Radio and their local news to monitor for severe weather updates, and to follow the directions provided by their local officials.
