Radio, Broadcasters Foundation Brace For Florence
• With the extremely dangerous Hurricane Florence (currently a Cat 4) less than 48 hours away from making landfall somewhere north of Wilmington, NC, radio and televisions stations anywhere near the path of Florence are well into emergency mode, keeping citizens informed of the storm’s approach and notifying them of the proper evacuation procedures and other precautionary measures. According to The Washington Post and numerous other media outlets, over 20 million people are under direct threat from Florence and more than 1.5 million people are under mandatory evacuation orders.
> The National Weather Service projects the storm will make landfall between northern South Carolina and North Carolina’s Outer Banks as a Category 3 or 4 storm from Thursday into Friday, although shifts in the track are possible and storm impacts will expand great distances beyond where landfall occurs.
> The National Hurricane Center is warning of a triple threat in the Carolinas and Virginia: 1) A “life-threatening storm surge” at the coast; 2) Life-threatening freshwater flooding from a prolonged and exceptionally heavy rainfall from the coast to interior sections, and 3) Damaging hurricane-force winds at the coast and some distance inland.
The Broadcasters Foundation of America is already on the case preparing for an influx of emergency grant applications. The Broadcasters Foundation Emergency Grant Relief Program provides an expedited application process that is streamlined to deliver emergency funds as quickly as possible to qualifying individuals who work (or have worked) in broadcasting. Emergency grants are based on financial need. This year, the Broadcasters Foundation Board of Directors elected to double the maximum amount of an individual emergency grant from $1,000 to $2,000. This increase is particularly significant, especially when considering that last year over $300,000 was awarded to individual victims of a rash of natural disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as wildfires and floods.
Broadcasters whose personal lives or property are acutely affected by Hurricane Florence are encouraged to find out if they quality for an emergency grant by visiting broadcastersfoundation.org/hurricaneflorence.
For over 70 years, the Broadcasters Foundation has distributed millions of dollars to thousands of needy broadcasters and their families. To learn more about emergency or monthly grants or to donate, please contact the Broadcasters Foundation at 212-373-8250 or info@thebfoa.org. [Graphic courtesy of WPEC-TV (CBS 12)/West Palm Beach]
