Latest news with #RusselHonoré
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré talks preparedness, Hurricane Katrina's 20-year anniversary
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — June 1 is the start of hurricane season and forecasters predict above-normal hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin this year. Lieutenant General Russel Honoré was a key figure in the response to Hurricane Katrina. He spoke to residents about the importance of being prepared. 'We've got to take into account that on any given day, Mother Nature can break anything built by men,' Honoré said. 'Things will happen. We've got to be prepared to bounce back,' Jefferson Parish StormPrep 2025 event prepares residents for hurricane season Twenty years after Katrina, he said he is proud of the response from local leaders since then. As Honoré reflected on that horrible day in 2005, he said it was the worst disaster in terms of loss of life. 'The people who died were elderly, disabled and poor,' Honoré said. 'In some cases, all three. The majority of them were alone at home. How do we talk through the evacuation plan to make sure no one is left behind?' Hurricane Season 2025: A WGNO Special Program With uncertainty about how FEMA will respond to future recovery efforts, Honoré said it's up to those in the community to ensure that what happened in 2005 doesn't happen again. 'Be prepared to be your own first responder,' Honoré said. 'There's a burden on that person you look at in the morning to be prepared. And when you get prepared, how do you get your family and your friends ready? And don't forget your neighbors.' Despite the city's progress since Hurricane Katrina, he points out one critical issue that remains unresolved. 'That subsurface, the drainage, and the drinking water pipes still need to be addressed, 'Honoré said. 'We still got an issue with how we get the water out of the city during heavy rains. That infrastructure was not fixed, and it could be done better, in my estimate.'Trump team emphasizes immigration in Boulder response Woman, 64, in US legally for 50 years is detained by ICE for 3 months Louisiana Red Cross urges preparedness amid hurricane season La. proposed bill to criminalize 'intentional exposure' to STDs, advances Atmos Energy offers advice for natural gas safety during hurricane season Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Atmos Energy offers advice for natural gas safety during hurricane season
METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — Atmos Energy, a natural gas company, has offered advice for natural gas customers to keep themselves safe during hurricane season and severe weather. According to Healthline, a website providing information on health and biology, natural gas exposure can cause a range of health problems. These can include headaches, dizziness and nausea caused by natural gas displacing oxygen in the air. In severe cases this can cause asphyxiation. Those with existing health conditions may have worse symptoms. Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré talks preparedness, Hurricane Katrina's 20-year anniversary According to Atmos Energy, the following safety measures should be followed: If gas appliances are underwater, do not operate the appliances. Contact Atmos Energy or a service professional to conduct a safety inspection. During severe weather or natural disaster, do not turn off natural gas at the meter even if evacuations are issued. If you smell gas, immediately leave the affected area. From a safe distance, call either 911 or the Atmos Energy 24-hour emergency response line at 866-322-8667. Never try to find the source of a gas leak. Do not use a mobile phone or anything that might cause a spark, such as a generator. If a natural gas meter is damaged or a gas line is exposed, immediately leave the area and call the Atmos Energy 24-hour emergency response line. Know where your natural gas meter is located. Make sure it's visible and free from trash and debris. Mechanical equipment used to clean up after a storm may damage the meter if it is hidden. Natural gas pipelines are mostly underground but can be damaged by uprooted trees and shifted foundations. After a storm, call 811 to have the location of underground utility lines marked, as gas service lines could become tangled. Atmos Energy customers experiencing a natural gas outage or service interruption should contact the company's customer service number at 888-286-6700. More severe weather information can be found on Atmos Energy's team emphasizes immigration in Boulder response Woman, 64, in US legally for 50 years is detained by ICE for 3 months Louisiana Red Cross urges preparedness amid hurricane season La. proposed bill to criminalize 'intentional exposure' to STDs, advances Atmos Energy offers advice for natural gas safety during hurricane season Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Are you ready for a natural disaster? Gen. Honoré encourages preparation after lessons learned during Hurricane Katrina
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)—A retired Army general best known for his leadership during Hurricane Katrina, turned community and climate activist. He reminds Louisiana residents that preparation saves lives as summer heats up and hurricanes form. General Russel Honoré founded The Green Army after a massive sinkhole forced Louisiana residents from their homes in 2012 and a failed government response. Fast-forward to 2025, and Honoré is a leading voice in raising awareness of the climate crisis and how it contributes to weather-related disasters nationwide. In prior years, it was easy to believe that hurricanes were a coastal issue and flooding was reserved for lower-lying places. Honoré says times have changed: 'Preparedness has got to be a way of life in Louisiana and all over the country, because the storms are not just hurricanes; there are floods as well as tornadoes that can come or, in some cases, earthquakes, so we gotta be prepared.' Being prepared and having a plan for your family is critical. Whether the disaster happens where you live or it forces friends and loved ones to rely on you for support, Honoré says be your own first responder. Active hurricane season predicted for 2025 'People don't often think about the impacts of hurricanes, but, Shreveport gets a lot of weather. You get thunderstorms, you get tornadoes, you get flooding, and, if the storms really bad, you get a lot of people come to town because you're one of the destination cities for a lot of the people in South Louisiana. To go to and try to get reprieve if the storm comes in a certain direction. And I can't remember any storm that hit South Louisiana that had an impact Shreveport, either from people coming, or the residue from the storm, the heavy rains or winds that come with it.' Honoré says it isn't just weather events and natural disasters that stress people and resources to the brink. Failing infrastructure and utility outages can make the situation worse. 'On any given day, Mother Nature can break anything built by man. You can get a strong storm and take the power grid out. If we lose power for 12 hours, that's a disaster. We all know that. 36 hours, we're really in trouble because we had to start evacuating people if the grid goes down.' The retired general turned climate change commander said that, after Hurricane Katrina, then-President George W. Bush had the idea to create a culture of preparedness in America. However, the idea did not catch on as the former president had hoped. Over time, people have moved further and further away from the concept, even though storms have intensified and moved with less predictability since 2005. More Louisiana News Honoré highlighted many factors that contribute to people's ill-preparedness for natural disasters—the most significant are poverty, age, and mobility. We've got to pay better attention to those people that need extra help, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor, that may not have the means to leave, or they don't have the current information,' Honoré said. 'That's not so. And many of them don't have the mental capacity in some cases to do it, but that was representative of who we found dead in the homes. They were elderly, disabled, and poor, they were by themselves. And that's a lesson to learn, to check on our neighbors before we leave if we got to evacuate.' Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced in March that the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) will be managed by the Louisiana National Guard, a move that Honoré supports. 'The good news is our National Guard is well-trained, well-equipped, and they spend months getting ready for hurricane season. The National Guard in Louisiana shows up with boats, itty bitty boats, and trucks, and they are well organized, and the support battalion is out.' He said the Louisiana National Guard troops' training for emergency preparedness is unmatched. 'The big thing is to be prepared, have your 3 to 5 day supply of food and water, because you can lose water or you can lose part of the grid any time. You all know that (in) Shreveport all the time. You have water issues. The grid goes down, or you lose power. But the idea is to be prepared – ' Hurricane Preparedness Week,' Honoré said. He suggests gathering essential documents, such as insurance policies and other documents, that you must submit for insurance or FEMA claims. Another critical note from General Honoré is to develop resilience, he believes our reliance on technology and speed have made it harder for Americans to withstand natural disasters and the hard days of recovery and rebuilding that follow. 'Our great-grandparents learned how to do that because they knew there was nobody coming if there was a problem. We got to be prepared and we got to teach that to our children, because when these disasters come, there's no instant solution when the grid goes down, because much of what we do is depending on the grid for information.' For more information on resources or to learn which essential items you need to be disaster-ready, contact the Red Cross or visit your parish website to stay updated on emergency information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
