Be a Buddy - Help Homebound Senior Citizens Prepare for the 2012 Hurricane Season

Interfaith Ministries serves over 4,500 seniors in Harris County through our Meals on Wheels program. Most Meals on Wheels clients are not adequately prepared for emergencies and are socially isolated from friends and family.You can help these senior citizens by becoming a Disaster Buddy volunteer.

Disaster Buddies will:

• Help senior citizens prepare a disaster kit for their home
• Check in on senior citizens after a disaster or major weather event
• Help the senior citizen with the evacuation Transportation Assistance Registry
• Maintain quarterly contact with senior citizen, even when it is pleasant and sunny outside

This year will mark the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Ike. In the Houston area alone, 2.15 million residents were without power in the days and weeks following Ike. For most of us, it was a frustrating inconvenience; for many homebound seniors, it was an immeasurable hardship that put their health and safety on the line. Many seniors depend on motorized wheelchairs or scooters to get around, and others have respiratory needs that require nebulizers or oxygen. Still others depend on medications that require refrigeration, such as insulin. Many who live in apartments above the first floor became virtually trapped in their homes because the elevators were inoperable. The lack of electricity was a disaster within the disaster.

This is why it is so critical that our senior citizens have a Buddy in their time of need - to know that someone will check in on them, answer their questions and, most of all, help them maintain their independence.

DISASTER BUDDY TRAINING DATES:

April

• Thursday, April 12th at 6:15 p.m.
• Thursday, April 26th at 6:15 p.m.
• Saturday, April 28th at 1 p.m.

May

• Thursday, May 17th at 6:15 pm.
• Saturday, May 26th at 9:30 a.m.
• Thursday, May 31st at 6:15 p.m.

For more information about being a Buddy, please contact Jennifer Posten via email or at (713) 533-4909. To fill out a volunteer application, click here.

 

All training sessions are currently held at 3217 Montrose Blvd.

2011 Hurricane Season is Here

The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins today, June 1, and recent computer models predict that we may have some early-season action in the Central Caribbean Sea to coincide with the start of this year's season.

We had an “active” season last year but most of the storms turned north and curved back out into the Atlantic Ocean. So there were a lot of storms but little damage. Remember 1992 and Hurricane Andrew?  The season only produced six named storms and one subtropical storm. However, one of those named storms was Hurricane Andrew, which devastated South Florida as a Category 5 hurricane.

So regardless of the predictions by the scientists and meteorologists, hurricanes have a mind of their own and their ultimate landfall is hard to predict. It only takes one storm hitting the right place to make for a bad season. Hurricane impacts are not limited to the coastline; strong winds and flooding rainfall often pose a threat across inland areas along with the risk for tornadoes.

NOAA “The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released their forecast for the 2011 hurricane season. Forecasters are expecting another active season with between 12 and 18 named storms, 6 to 10 hurricanes and 3 to 6 major hurricanes.”

Now is the time, if you haven’t already, to get your plan together for what you and your family would do if disaster strikes.  A great place to get started is the 2011 Hurricane Workshop.  It is your chance to learn how to prepare for hurricane season. There are giveaways; fun, educational activities for the whole family and information about evacuation plans, safety during a storm, and power restoration.  An interactive Kids Zone provides an opportunity for children to learn more about hurricane safety.

The first 2,000 attendees to arrive on June 4 will receive a FREE lunch and all attendees will have a chance to win emergency supply kits and flatscreen TVs, courtesy of Walmart, at the end of the workshop. And be sure to stop by and say hello to your favorite local TV meteorologist. Representatives from all Houston networks will be available to answer your questions.  Interfaith Ministries is proud to be a contributor to the Hurricane Workshop.  Hope to see you there!

Jennifer Posten

Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston

Office of Disaster Preparedness & Response – Director

HIDRA & VOAD – HCOHSEM Liaison

Reliant Helps Seniors Prepare for Hurricane

Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston Thanks Reliant Energy

A big “Thank You” to Reliant Energy for helping our Meals on Wheels seniors get prepared for hurricane season! Reliant helped deliver non-perishable food boxes and hurricane guides in addition to their regular meal. For more on the news coverage on this event, click here.

Meals on Wheels seniors are home-bound and need help preparing for a disaster. Reliant Energy and IM are dedicated to making sure Houston seniors are well informed about hurricanes and other disasters. Visit the press release here for more information on the partnership.