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Washington - The local chapter of the American Red Cross will be keeping a close eye on the weather during inauguration week. Red Cross officials say that in terms of public safety, they're most concerned about below-freezing temperatures and icy conditions.

The Red Cross will have its Regional Disaster Coordination Center fully operational for the inauguration events. They will be on the scene for the ceremony and prepared to handle any emergency. While they may be hoping for the best, they are preparing for the worst, from man-made emergencies to natural disasters.

Joseph Sciuto of the Red Cross pointed out, "There's 479,000 people who live in D.C.; they're going to have five million house guests. We'll not only have problems with the people on the mall -- the hypothermia, the frostbite, things like that that are going to happen -- but then start worrying about pipes freezing, people not being able to leave if the roads get blocked because of weather."

He is preparing for any contingency, but notes that the organization faces one notable challenge: there are no empty hotel rooms for a good 250 miles. "If there's a house fire, water pipes breaking with flooding and freezing, gas mains go out [and] we have clients with no heat, no home to stay in, I have no hotels to put people in."

Sciuto noted that the inauguration is not simply a one-day event; many visitors will stay for the better part of the week, and emergency services must take that into account.

Sciuto explained that the Red Cross is already planning to open shelters during the week of the inauguration. Even without extreme weather, he is expecting what he calls "overflow guests." "Whatever the reason -- they came in just for the day and they wind up getting stuck because of the weather or something -- these people will have to be taken care of."

To pull off their inaugural plans, the Red Cross hopes to recruit 500 volunteers; so far, they have roughly half that number.

Sciuto, for one, is anxious for the big day. "We've been planning for several weeks and we will plan until the day is over."

 

 

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