As if dealing with the oil spill wasn’t bad enough, “Bonnie” began threatening further destruction to the Gulf Coast area. Fortunately, the storm is no longer brewing up hurricane strength and has fully dissipated over the tropics, but the fact remains that most disasters are uncontrollable. They don’t consider whether the timing is good or not, and they don’t ask politely to come in. The way a community fights back, however, is to prepare.
Morgan Freeman appears in a recent video for CNN’s Impact Your World to spread the importance of hurricane and disaster awareness. When Hurricane Ivan nearly wiped out Grenada, Morgan and a few passionate others started the Grenada Relief Fund (GRF) to help the island nation recover. In 2007, the GRF became PLAN!T NOW. The organization works to spread awareness and offer communities the tools they need to face a storm head-on should one arise.
“When Hurricane Ivan struck it pretty much destroyed the island of Granada and I was called by one of my friends for help,” Freeman said in the video. “We started a cookbook that a lot of friends took part in, and that was the way we raised money and awareness that was the genesis of PLAN!T NOW.”
As hurricane season approaches, it’s important for everyone in potential storm regions to have a plan of action. However, a natural disaster can occur anywhere, at anytime, so all must be aware. Like Freeman said on PLAN!T NOW, “Disaster happens when preparation doesn’t.”
PLAN!TNOW encourages people in disaster and storm-affected areas to communicate with operations on the Gulf Coast, US Eastern seaboard, in the Caribbean and Mexico to learn how to properly protect their cities and loved ones.
“This continued awareness of tornadoes and hurricanes is what PLAN!T NOW is really about; preparedness,” Freeman said.
Photo courtesy of PLAN!T NOW.