The American Red Cross and Unitil Corporation, (www.unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, are urging residents and businesses to prepare for the possibility of power outages and dangerous conditions from Hurricane Sandy – nicknamed “Frankenstorm.” The American Red Cross and Unitil urge residents to remain inside and stay safe during the peak hours of the storm this afternoon and evening.
“Storms of this nature have the possibility to dramatically disrupt communities for hours, days or even weeks,” said Maria White, Chief Executive Officer, NH Region of the Red Cross. “We’re working with Unitil to make sure we arm everyone in the region with the knowledge to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe during these times.”
People all along the Eastern seaboard and areas inland who may be in the path of the storm should take safety steps like keeping up to date on Hurricane Sandy’s progress,updating family emergency plans, and building or updating their household disaster kits.
The free Red Cross Hurricane App for mobile devices is available and provides real-time hurricane safety information. You can use the app to receive weather alerts and get information on Red Cross shelters. The app also features a toolkit with a flashlight, strobe light and alarm, and the one-touch “I’m Safe” button lets someone use social media outlets to tell family and friends they are okay. The Hurricane App can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.
Unitil will be communicating throughout the storm and restoration through Public Service Announcements (PSAs), their customer call center, their online Outage Center and through the media. Unitil also encourages customers to follow along with storm updates via Unitil’s Twitter feed (@Unitil).
“We are working closely with the Red Cross to give our customers and the community the best chance to weather this storm safely,” Unitil Media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “Safety can be greatly improved with preparation, and our aim is to provide a wealth of resources to ensure people can properly prepare.”
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. For more information, please visitwww.redcross.orgor join our blog athttp://blog.redcross.org.Red Cross services are provided to all communities in New Hampshire. For more information about the American Red Cross or the services in your community, please visit www.nhredcross.orgor call the NH Regional Office at 1-800-464-6692.
For more information please contact:
Lisa Michaud Chief Communications/External Relations Officer NH Region American Red Cross Lisa.Michaud@redcross.org Phone: 603-540-0788 Cell: 603-540-0788