Former Director of the National Hurricane Center and Home Improvement Columnist Offer Expert Advice on Making The Most of Hurricane Preparedness Week
When severe weather hits, you have to be prepared to take care of yourself, your family and your neighbors. It may take days for first responders to clear the roads and get power up and running. Gas stations and grocery stores may be closed. So, are you prepared for the 2016 hurricane season?
Bill Read, Former Director of the National Hurricane Center; and Ed Del Grande, Nationally Syndicated Home Improvement Columnist, offers tips to help viewers prepare for the worst including:
- Identifying a safe place in your home to shelter
- Creating an evacuation route and communication plan
- Putting together the essentials for an emergency kit
- Establishing solutions for access to reliable power – the number-one issue faced in an emergency situation.
Did you know…
- 2.6 million people lost power from Hurricane Katrina
- It took 23 days to restore power to only ¾ of customers after Hurricane Katrina – that’s more than three weeks without access to safe food and water and communication.
- Severe weather events are linked to a 5 – 10 percent increase in the total number of minutes people are without power.
Talent:
Bill Read, Former Director of the National Hurricane Center, National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA): Mr. Read began his weather service career in 1977 with the National Weather Service. During his service in the U.S Navy, he served as an on-board meteorologist with the Hurricane Hunters. Prior to his 2008 appointment as director of the National Hurricane Center, Mr. Read worked in Sterling, Virginia; Fort Worth, Texas; San Antonio, Texas, Silver Spring, Maryland, Houston, Texas and Miami, Florida. He received the National Hurricane Conference Public Education Award in Spring 2004 for hurricane preparedness efforts.
Ed Del Grande, Nationally Syndicated Home Improvement Columnist, Author & TV Host: The master plumber has over 30-plus years of experience in every aspect of construction and was one of the early pioneers in home-improvement television. Starting on HGTV with shows such as Dream Builders and The Fix, Mr. Del Grande later went on to help build the DIY Network and HGTVpro.com with shows such as Warehouse Warriors and Ed The Plumber. He also writes a weekly nationally syndicated newspaper column for the Tribune News Service, and also wrote his first book, Ed Del Grande’s House Call. He has offered home-improvement tips on a variety of shows including Ellen, The Martha Stewart Show, NBC’s The Today Show and The Tonight Show, MSNBC News and Fox Business News.
Interview provided by Kohler, learn more at kohlergenerators.com
