Washington, DC
June 7, 2007 

As per the information received from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ,an early assessment of the hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico indicates that this will be a particularly severe season with an estimated 18 storms. 

While this forecast is as yet preliminary, FEMA emphasized that it was appropriate at this time for local communities of persons of foreign origin in the hurricane affected areas to establish contact with state and local emergency officials and familiarize themselves with disaster management plans for their respective areas. 

At the personal level, they also advised that such communities prepare themselves with adequate emergency supplies (such as food, water, flash light, etc) and medication for at least 72 hours for each family member. FEMA recommended that foreign nationals affected by such disasters should use online databases such as that offered by the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org). This site allows self-registration and posting of messages to allow friends and relatives to search for loved ones in the affected areas.