Luz Diaz, Red Cross Community Preparedness Educator, provided disaster preparedness materials to members of the Latino community at El Centro de la Raza’s 8th Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration last weekend. Luz also had the opportunity to take a photo with Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. To schedule a free preparedness training for your community organization or workplace, visit safeinthesound.org/get-trained!
Six months after Superstorm Sandy destroyed communities and disrupted lives in New York and New Jersey, the American Red Cross issued its six-month progress report today detailing its ongoing efforts to help people affected by the storm.
“Signs of recovery can be seen throughout the areas hit by this major storm, and while it will take a long time for the region to rebuild, the Red Cross will be there throughout to help,” said Dawn Angelo, Regional CEO for the Western Washington Chapters of the American Red Cross. “We thank all those whose generous support has enabled the Red Cross to help those affected by this storm.”
Throughout the past six months, the American Red Cross has deployed 49 individuals from the Northwest Washington region and 122 from Western Washington to the east coast for ongoing Sandy relief efforts.
SIX MONTHS OF HELPING: The Red Cross launched an immediate large-scale relief effort after the storm came ashore – the largest U.S. disaster response by the Red Cross in more than five years. Following weeks of providing emergency relief, today the Red Cross has a long-term recovery operation underway. At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other government partners, the Red Cross is working with about 9,000 families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged.
For a full report on Red Cross relief efforts related to Sandy, please visit redcross.org/sandy-response.
Last Saturday, our youth preparedness team traveled to Lewis County for a second Preparedness Institute with the Girl Scouts of Western Washington. The girls built a small kit, explored an Emergency Response Vehicle, learned basic first aid and the history of the American Red Cross.
The Red Cross works closely with schools, Scouts and other youth groups to train the next generation in preparedness. Our AmeriCorps team members are an integral part of this training process.
In the Basic First Aid program, youth learn how to save a choking victim, as well as how to properly wrap and secure bandages. We want to give students the skills to respond quickly to emergencies and natural disasters. The Passport to Preparedness program includes take-home activities to help families develop disaster plans, build disaster kits and get trained in first aid.
For more information on our youth programs or to schedule a preparedness training, please visit safeinthesound.org/get-trained/youth-preparedness.
The Red Cross Crafting Clubs from across the region came together this afternoon in Kent. Many of them have been volunteering with the Red Cross for several decades. These ladies make quilts for disaster victims, crochet sweaters for homeless children and craft in so many different creative ways. Anyone is welcome to join their weekly activities, donate material or contribute their time!
Spring is the perfect time to clean out your closets, but also do a little spring update on your preparedness knowledge! Follow the steps below to put your best, most prepared foot forward this spring. Visit safeinthesound.org for preparedness tips and more!
Do a little spring cleaning on your Disaster Preparedness Kit:
Think about where you store your kit or where you will store it after you make it:
Are you planning to put it in the entry closet by your front door? If so, is that closet organized enough so you can grab the kit without being toppled over by shoe boxes and tool kits? If you’re like me, you might go on an organizing spree once every few months – completely gutting your closets and cabinets, cleaning them out and reorganizing the random assortment of items you keep in them. While you have the motivation to organize, try to think about the best place to keep your kit so that it’stucked away safely, but easily accessible. It’s also a good idea to keep more than kit. Create one for your home, but a smaller version for your car or workplace.
Think about how you would get out of your house or apartment in the case of a fire:
If you’re an apartment dweller like me, you might only have one ideal exit from your living space. That is, unless you want to bust through a window and land safely on 6th Avenue. Because of this, I am always trying to make sure I go to bed with a clear path to my door, which thankfully, leads right to the stairs. For those of us that might not be the tidy type, use your cleaning sprees to remove boxes, piles of laundry, or those cute new shoes you just bought, from your path to your exit. Even though you might think you’re quite agile and coordinated, if you’re woken up in the middle of the night by your fire alarm, you might be a little more disoriented and clumsy than you’d anticipate.
Think about where you spend the most time at home and what might be hanging right above your head in case of an earthquake:
Yes, the ornate, antique mirror I bought at a rummage sale is amazing and an exciting future DIY project. Does that mean it should be hung up on the wall next to my bed so it catches the light and makes my tiny apartment appear more spacious? No, absolutely not. Hanging anything large and heavy, without properly securing them to a wall stud, is sure to be a hazard in case of an earthquake. Remember, most injuries during earthquakes are the result of stepping on broken glass and being hit by falling items. Secure that adorable vase or picture frame to your bookshelf (which should also bolted to the wall) with velcro strips or museum wax. After dusting said bookshelf, make sure the heaviest items are moved to the bottom shelves.
Spring cleaning is something we all feel the need to do, so let’s make sure that this spring, you not only tidy your space, but you also take some steps toward being more prepared. Spring is in the air and so is preparedness. What will you do to make yourself safer this season?
Originally published in the Everett Herald Business Journal: Thursday, February 28, 2013, 12:01 a.m., http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130228/OPINION01/702289953#Preparing-for-the-big-one
IN OUR VIEW: ‘SAFE IN THE SOUND’
Disaster preparedness, like life insurance, is an often compartmentalized must-do. Potential horrors, such as a massive, subduction-zone earthquake, are shoehorned into the subconscious, with occasional cameos in film and nightmares. All the while, Northwesterners can’t wish away geology. Reflexive denial or “we have an extra flashlight” falls short when the big one hits and basic infrastructure — including communication — takes a whack.
The Snohomish County Red Cross (it includes Camano Island) is working with other Puget Sound chapters and community partners to launch the “Safe in the Sound” preparedness campaign, a three-year push to inspire action, provide innovative and accessible preparedness training (targeted to the most vulnerable populations) and building sustainable preparedness networks. The takeaway is to prepare, not scare (for scare, tune in to NOVA or other educational programming featuring computer-generated graphics.)
With the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan as a backdrop, the Red Cross emphasizes that Washington is second only to California for risk of earthquake-related damage to basic infrastructure. A growing Puget Sound region that supports 4.5 million residents is especially vulnerable, with the Seattle area placing fifth among areas nationwide likely to absorb a massive hit. Soon. Nevertheless, only 50 percent of local households have disaster kits (the extra flashlight doesn’t count) and less than 30 percent know how to corral help when evacuating.
The Snohomish County Red Cross, first among equals in its professionalism and service to families in need, underlines that in a major disaster, neighbors are the first responders. Currently, the Puget Sound-area Red Cross responds to a disaster every 16 hours. Scale that a thousand fold with a subduction quake, coupled with transportation, phone and Internet disruptions. It won’t be pretty, and restoring services will take a long, long time.
“Safe in the Sound” extends to coastal communities that could be wiped out in a tsunami. The mission is ambitious but manageable: to build capacity to “withstand, quickly adapt to and successfully recover from disasters and emergencies.” In addition to a media blitz and dedicated website (www.safeinthesound.org) the campaign is pushing training, including an online course on its website as well as in-person disaster preparedness in CPR and first aid. Then come the basics: families should practice a home-evacuation plan, establish an out-of-area contact, and build or purchase a disaster kit. These rules are especially relevant for the elderly and low-income families (73 percent of poor families do not have a disaster supply kit.) Red Cross executive director Chuck Morrison, an inspired leader who has breathed life into the local chapter, is working hard to make whole the success of “Safe in the Sound.” The rest is up to us.
On January 31, the Canadian Red Cross launched the Tiffany Circle of British Columbia with a special event in Vancouver. The Tiffany Circle is a society of women leaders and philanthropists committed to supporting their local Red Cross chapter.
Diane Radloff, co-chair of the Seattle Tiffany Circle and Elana Western, Major Gifts Officer, joined the official launch event, which featured an inspiring talk by Mrs. Laureen Harper, Honorary Tiffany Circle Chair in Canada. As wife of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Laureen has had the opportunity to witness first-hand the work of the Red Cross.
Above, Diane Radloff, Mrs. Laureen Harper, Honorary Chair for the Canadian Red Cross, and Elana Western. Photo by James Wilkins.
Thanks for having us, Vancouver! We were excited to represent the American Red Cross at the launch and want to welcome the newest Tiffany Circle members!
Students from Lawton Elementary School stopped by to make a donation to the American Red Cross. Here they’re pictured counting their donation with one of our employees.
Total, they raised $119. Way to go! Consider making a donation to the American Red Cross today by visiting https://www.redcross.org/donate/index.jsp?donateStep=2&itemId=prod60003
Safe in the Sound, the new regional Red Cross preparedness campaign, has launched! To learn more about the program and get up-to-date preparedness tips, check out our new social media channels.
Visit facebook.com/RedCrossSafeinthesound and follow us @RedCrossSITS on Twitter.
Have a great preparedness tip? Tweet it to our account using #SITS! Want to highlight your emergency organization? Connect with us on Facebook. Safe in the Sound preparedness information, crucial safety tips, volunteer opportunities and more will be posted on our social media channels.
Visit safeinthesound.org for more information on this initiative.
For our organization’s annual participation in the MLK Day of Service, we went to local neighborhoods in the region and canvassed areas with the highest rates of home fires. The coordination of the service sites was spearheaded by three AmeriCorps members out of the Olympic Peninsula, Tacoma and Seattle offices.
We went door-to-door and spoke with individuals about fire safety, making a home evacuation plan and other protective measures. For families who weren’t home, we left door hangers with fire safety information on them. Throughout the region, we had a total of 357 volunteers with more than 1,117.75 hours of volunteer work. We distributed 4,048 fire safety door hangers, visited 4,060 houses in the region and had conversations with 1,518 individuals.
Some residents we spoke with said they would make a home evacuation plan with their families after speaking with us. This shows a direct impact as a result of the service we provided! We were able to give them the knowledge, and contact information at the Red Cross, to help better prepare their families in case of an emergency. What a great way to spend a weekend! After all, the annual day of service is a day on, not a day off.
