In the know.

As a coastal community, we are always asked about hurricane preparedness and how our community weathered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. To answer this question, we went to our Director of Physical Plant, Jeff Avenmarg. He joined the team when we opened our doors in 2015, making him one of the first employees at The Crossings where he has been a valuable member ever since. Every year, Jeff updates our disaster preparedness plans and makes a priority of communicating with staff and residents the details of those plans. We asked Jeff to share some information that helps answer that very important question:

What happens when there is a hurricane?

Hurricanes present a host of problems such as wind, rain, flooding, power outages and more that we must be prepared for. We plan to shelter in place for Categories I, II, and possibly III depending on storm surge predictions, and evacuate for Categories IV and V.

However, those individuals with time specific medical needs should not shelter in place. We would assist with making arrangements for those that have needs, such as dialysis, in this kind of event.

When sheltering in place, we always encourage that in addition to what the community provides, it is always best practice to have the following on hand:

• Three gallons of drinking water
• Three day supply of non-perishable food
• Seven day supply of medications
• Flashlight

There are many things to consider when hurricane season comes around. We are grateful for the proactive and diligent planning that contributed greatly to how well our community weathered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. That preparedness, along with the structural planning and considerations taken when the building was built, contributed to our safety during the storm. For instance, during building, our elevation was increased to 15.5 feet above sea level and hurricane grade windows were installed to withstand 125 mph winds which made our residents feel secure and protected.

While speaking to one of our residents recently while watching the projections of Hurricane Dorian, he reflected on all the memories and anxious feelings stirred up from Harvey recalling, “We had the security and comfort that only having an entire home full of fellow wonderful people pulling together gives. All of our neighbors, staff, friends and family members were what we were concerned for, not ourselves. God was in our presence.”

Through the dedication of our MRC family and outstanding community staff, we are pleased we can provide a safe environment for our resident family.

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