Is Your Emergency Preparedness Kit Gluten Free?

Raise your hand if you have some sort of food allergy or dietary restrictions. Or know someone who does.

By now I'm pretty sure we all have our hands raised.

Just a reminder: If you or someone in your household has dietary restrictions, make sure you account for that when packing your emergency kit.

I, myself, am an animal who feels that every meal must have meat. So I've made sure that my kit has lots of  yummy protein sources. (Side note: after having recently discovered the deliciousness of  "the tactical sammich" I'm totally planning to toss some of them in there!)

While a meat-junky or a vegetarian diet is fairly easy to accommodate, gluten-free can be a little more challenging. Luckily, we recently came across the Gluten Free Insider's handy list of foods they recommend for a gluten-free kit. So share it with your gluten-free friends! I'm going to.

Ultimately, whatever your food allergy or dietary restriction, just make sure to read the labels of any packaged food you pack in your kit. And it's a good idea to pack some extra allergy meds just in case.

P.S. Need to get started on a basic kit? We've got a few to choose from in our online store.

What Can You Buy With A Dollar?

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. We at the Red Cross believe that a dollar is worth a thousand "thank you's."


A massive wildfire in eastern Arizona that has displaced as many as 11,000 people calmed overnight and did not grow in size, with officials giving no new evacuation orders on Thursday. But with zero percent containment, over 3,000 firefighters have been working tirelessly to stop the inferno from spreading.


The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at Blue Ridge High School in Northeastern Arizona and has been providing many with food, clothing, and most importantly a place to sleep until many can return to their homes. When you donate just $5.00 to the Red Cross you are able to provide a family with a comfort kit, which includes toiletries and personal hygiene materials. Your $10.00 will feed a person in our shelter three full meals. Lastly, your $25.00 donation will feed a family of four dinner as they prepare to spend a night away from their home.

At the Red Cross we understand the value of a dollar. We are not a government agency, and do not receive federal funding. We rely on individuals like you to aid us in our mission. So make a donation today and a help someone recover from one of the worst days in their lives. 

Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up!

Welcome to the Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It's a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work...

LIBYA: The ICRC continues to addressurgent humanitarian needs, and - in a joint operation with the Mines Advisory Group - has started destroying hundreds of unexploded devices in the city of Ajdabiya.

YEMEN: Four months of civil unrest have taken their toll, with dozens of people killed or wounded. The ICRC and the Yemen Red Crescent are evacuating the wounded and the dead in Sana'a, and helping to supply water to the population. Elsewhere in the country, they are providing first aid for people affected by the violence.

TUNISIA: In the border area of south-eastern Tunisia, a massive influx of refugees from Libya is putting huge pressure on water resources already stretched by increased needs resulting from the onset of the dry season. The ICRC is providing support for the national water board to boostthe supply of drinking water in areas of that have been particularly hard hit.

LIBERIA: As Ivorian refugees continue to seek safety in Liberia, the Red Cross is providing seeds and tools to enable the host communities to replenish their depleted food stocks.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

I'm Ready To Save Your Life.

Every morning, I get to work, I turn on my shiny Mac and I google "American Red Cross." Why? You might ask...well I do this to see what news is happening across our Nation and if there is any good blogworthy opportunities. However, I stumbled across this picture this morning and it struck me as extremely interesting.

I know nothing about it, other than that it's fairly old. How do I know this? Because it uses a tagline -- Together, We Can Save A Life -- that's not on our materials anymore.

But whether it's old or current, the ad still has a good message. It also reminds me of a sad point made in our 2010 summer survey:

Americans say they are most comfortable giving CPR to family members, friends and coworkers, with less than half very likely to perform CPR on a stranger. The survey showed that physical appearance was a significant factor when people are deciding to perform CPR on a stranger, and men with a disheveled or sloppy appearance were the least likely to receive assistance, with only half of respondents saying they would very likely try to give them CPR.

Bottom line, training (and a breathing barrier) should make you feel comfortable saving ANYONE'S life when it's needed, no matter who they are or what they look like. Are you ready? Take a class today.

A Must For Every Android User, The S.O.S. Emergency Support App!

So I particularly am not too pleased about blogging about the new S.O.S. Emergency Support app from the American Red Cross. Why? You ask. Well, because as of now, it is not supported on the iPhone, so I post this for all of you Android users out there. I certainly hope one of you is around should I ever need emergency assistance. Back to business, this week the American Red Cross released this brand new app to help those respond in emergency situations.

Once activated, app users are guided through a victim assessment and receive step-by-step video narration and follow-along demonstrations by Dr. Mehmet Oz. 3-D animations are included for the more complex protocols, specifically Hands-Only CPR and Choking along with an audio and visual counter for real-time CPR compressions.

The Resource Guide covers more than 50 common emergency care situations with easy to understand instructions for treating seizures to broken bones.

In addition to the emergency protocols and resource guide, the S.O.S. app features 9-1-1 dialing that auto-launches a map with location information, while on the call with the emergency dispatcher.

DOWNLOAD IT NOW!

Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up!

Welcome to the Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It's a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work...

HONDURAS: The ICRC is helping to mitigate the effects of violence in schools with a training workshop on humanitarian principles and first-aid in the city of Tela.
Côte d'Ivoire: Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by fighting, other violence and looting over the past few months. The ICRC and the Red Cross Society of Côte d'Ivoire have begun to distribute food, seed and other emergency aid in 35 villages east of Bangolo.
AFGHANISTAN: Fighting has been ongoing west of Qaysar since early May, displacing thousands of people from more than 20 villages and triggering a distribution of emergency aid by the ICRC and the Afghan Red Crescent Society in this highly volatile, hard-to-reach part of north-west Afghanistan.
LIBERIA: The ICRC donated a complete sets of books on international humanitarian law, the branch of international law that governs armed conflict, to both the Ministry of Defence and the Liberian armed forces.
ICELAND: When Grimsvötn, a sub-glacial volcano in southeast Iceland, erupted last week Red Crossers immediatley opened two shelters, activated a 24-hour helpline and mobilized psychosocial support teams to help those affected.

GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Let's Celebrate National CPR/AED Awareness Week!

In December of 2007, Congress declared the first week of June each year as National CPR/AED Awareness Week. June 1-7, 2011 will mark the fourth National CPR and AED Awareness Week with the goal of encourage states, cities and towns to establish organized programs that provide CPR and AED trainings and increase public access to AEDs. 

The American Red Cross has stepped up to the challenge and set an organizational goal of reaching 250,000 people nationwide during this one week with the vital knowledge and skills to respond to a life-threatening situation with confidence.

Through this outreach, we hope that we can raise the public awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, suffered by more than 300,000 people each year and increase the chance of survival that can be achieved by having at least one person in each household trained in CPR and the use of an AED.

In less time than you think, American Red Cross training can give you the vital knowledge and skills to respond to a life-threatening situation with confidence.

The Red Cross is also empowering individuals with the skills to act in times of emergencies. Which is why in 2011, the Red Cross is launching our "Hands-Only CPR" initiative. Most individuals who suffer from cardiac arrest are helped by a bystander, so check out this awesome compression-only video and get started on your training today!

To register for a CPR/AED class in your area visit us online or call your Regional Office at (559) 455-1000.