FKA Staff Responds to Hurricane Isabel with the American Red Cross

Since Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc on the East coast of the U.S. causing 77 deaths 1 and over $6 billion in damages in September 1999, there have been other storms that have caused damage and resulted in flooding. Hurricane Isabel, however, was the most damaging and deadly hurricane to impact the Mid-Atlantic states in the four years since Floyd. Isabel left a path of destruction including major flooding and widespread power outages starting on the afternoon of Thursday, September 18, when Isabel made landfall near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina until it dissipated late Friday, September 19 over Ontario, Canada.

While the hurricane moved over the Atlantic Ocean, winds reached speeds in excess of 155 miles per hour, ranking the hurricane as a Category Five. However, by the time that Isabel reached land it had been downgraded to a Category Two. Still, Isabel resulted in damages that may, in the final analysis, exceed $2 billion and totaled 38 deaths. 2

In response to flooding and power outages, the American Red Cross dispatched thousands of volunteers throughout the impacted regions including the Washington. D.C. area. FKA staff member, Katrina Kernodle, was among the metropolitan area responders in one of the Arlington County American Red Cross Chapter's mobile feeding units. Kernodle observed the following:

The areas we were accessing lacked power and had suffered significant flooding. Belongings including toys, beds, curtains and all types of furniture lay soaked and stained along the curbsides in the Bell Haven community near the Potomac River. People congregated in small groups on yards or in neighbors' homes that were dry. Clusters of candles and flashlights created beams of light in an otherwise black landscape. People were so grateful that the Red Cross was on the scene with hot meals and fresh water. Even if they had obtained food elsewhere, several people sought comfort in communicating their experiences with the three Red Cross volunteers in the mobile unit.

For more information about local and regional American Red Cross Hurricane Isabel response efforts, visit www.redcross.org.

___________________________________