The Not So Serious Side of Preparedness.

It's National Preparedness Month, so we decided to ask the Central Valley Staff some questions to help you, our wonderful readers, get to know us better. Throughout September, you will get to meet our team and see The Not So Serious Side of Preparedness.

"What Can't You Do With A Cast Iron Skillet?"

Ellen Knapp, Regional Chief Executive Officer

Dana Regier, Director of Operations

How long have you been with the Red Cross?
Ellen: 7 years
Dana: 6 years, Ellen talked me into joining her!


What's your most feared natural or man-made disaster?
Ellen: I would have to say house fires, I've seen everything else happen but house fires scare me the most.
Dana: A plague of biblical proportions - especially if it involves something creepy and crawly.


What's the strangest or most important thing in your emergency preparedness kit?
Ellen: I know it may sound mushy but in my kit is a couple of discs with all my children's pictures on it. Also, I would need my pillow, I couldn't survive without my soft and crunchy pillow! For my husband, he would definitely need his coffee, so I guess some Starbucks ground coffee and a coffee press, since odds are there would be no power.
Dana:  My husband’s cast iron skillet for sure… he can’t live without it and we can use it to cook with and if needed for protection against those creepy crawly things I am terrified of. Also, you could use it to heat your coffee, Ellen!  I would also include a radio, I am a news junkie and so not being able to have contact with the outside world would probably drive me crazy.   


What should individuals do to prepare this September?
Ellen: What we saw and experienced from Hurricane Katrina was many individuals who had no proof of identification nor copies of their important papers. I think this September everyone should make a commitment to scan all of their important documents and place them on a flash drive that goes right in your emergency kit. Also, I think it is also very important that you make a donation to your local Red Cross Chapter so that we can continue to prepare other individuals for disaster.
Dana: When I think of disaster the movie Red Dawn (1984 original not the remake that may never be released) comes to mind, not because my high school is being invaded by some foreign military but because when I think of disaster I think of bands of people having to fend for themselves just like the band of students in Red Dawn.  Will we ever be able to come together to create a new community after the invasion of the creepy crawly things.  We have to band together, come up with a name (like the Wolverines in the movie) and take down the awful pests so they don’t destroy our world.  In the end we are just ordinary heroes… I’ll use the cast iron skillet to save the day (by the way Alex you can use my skillet against the Zombies)

Join the Ready Rating Program - It's Free, It's Easy, It's Necessary.

The American Red Cross today announced a newly designed website, ReadyRating.org, to help businesses, schools and other organizations better prepare for emergencies. 

Ready Rating is a free, self-paced, web-based membership program that helps a business or school measure how ready they are to deal with emergencies, and gives customized feedback on how they can improve their efforts.

Schools and businesses may face a number of emergencies that could disrupt their operations, ranging from natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods to outbreaks of illness such as the flu. The Ready Rating Program can help them feel more confident about the safety of their employees and students.

"Emergencies can strike without warning and unfortunately, we have many real-life examples here and abroad from just the past few weeks that remind us of the importance of being prepared – whether it is the Japan earthquake and tsunami, flooding in the Midwest, or the record number of tornadoes that devastated Alabama and other communities throughout the South." said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the Red Cross. "Everyone needs to play a role in disaster preparedness, and Ready Rating helps businesses and organizations take action to understand if they are ready for an emergency."

Ready Rating begins with members completing an online comprehensive self-assessment at ReadyRating.org.  Upon completion, every organization gets a customized scorecard which evaluates how prepared they are and steps they can take to improve their readiness planning. The assessment covers items from hazard vulnerability to continuity of operations and employee readiness. Ready Rating is also consistent with Private Sector or PS-Prep Standards developed by the Department of Homeland Security.

Ready Rating also encourages businesses and schools to work with their employees, students and families to get prepared at home. A 2009 Red Cross survey* showed that 51 percent of Americans have experienced at least one emergency situation where they lost utilities for at least three days, had to evacuate, could not return home or communicate with family members.  Although 89 percent of those surveyed believe it is important to be prepared for emergencies, far fewer are actually taking the steps necessary to prepare.

More information about this new preparedness program for schools and businesses can be found at www.ReadyRating.org.

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...


WORLDWIDE: Each year, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world observe World First Aid Day. The day is marked on the second Saturday of September and communities are preparing for it around the globe.

COLOMBIA: On Monday, September 5, 2011, ICRC and Ministry of Social Protection presented a guide in Bogotá for improving treatment for casualties of armed conflict. The victims of armed conflict include people wounded by improvised explosive devices and explosive remnants of war, and also the victims of firearms and other devices.
YEMEN: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Yemen Red Crescent Society have distributed food rations to over 17,000 displaced people and residents in the areas of Zinjibar, Ja'ar, al-Bateis and al-Husn in Abyan governorate. Armed confrontations have forced tens of thousands of people to hastily leave their homes in search of safer places.
SOUTH KOREA: The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement was well represented at the recent 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) held in Busan, the Republic of Korea. IFRC used the conference as an opportunity to call upon governments in Asia and the Pacific to provide universal, non-politicized and anonymous access to HIV testing as a key step towards the United Nation’s ‘Getting to Zero’ strategy.

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

Prepare-aphernalia: The Backpack Couch

One common excuse people give for not having an emergency kit: “I have nowhere to put it.”

Okay, fair enough.

The Backpack Couch

Maybe you live in one of those adorable tiny houses or a studio apartment with incredibly cramped closets. Well, my storage-space-seeking friend, worry no more. I give you… The Backpack Couch. 

Just think of all the prepare-aphernalia you could pack in these pockets! Flashlights, food bars, first aid kits, tools… and if it were me I’d probably tuck a few bags of Haribo Gummy Bears in a special pocket just in case I need my gummy fix while sheltering in place.

So there you go. A kit you can sit on! No closet space required.

Circle K and the American Red Cross

Immediately following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, Circle K - West Coast Division jumped into action helping raise more than $300,000 to support the ongoing efforts in to help those affected in Haiti recover and rebuild.

Building on the momentum, the leadership team at Circle K - West Coast Division wanted to help their community where their employees live and their stores operated. Throughout 2011, more than 300 Circle K stores throughout the western United States will run campaigns asking patrons to support Red Cross Chapter is their local communities.

This September, in honor of National Preparedness Month, Circle K will be selling promotional items to help individuals build and stock their emergency preparedness kit as well as collecting donations to help support your local Chapter. All proceeds collected from your donations and support  will go directly to your local Red Cross Chapter. 

So if you are out and about traveling today or heading home, be sure to stop at your local Circle K and support your Red Cross. If you need help locating a store near you....click here!

The Not So Serious Side of Preparedness.

It's National Preparedness Month, so we decided to ask the Central Valley Staff some questions to help you, our wonderful readers, get to know us better. Throughout September, you will get to meet our team and see The Not So Serious Side of Preparedness.

When the "What If" meets the "What Now"

Alex Villa, Regional Preparedness Manager

Katrina Poitras, Emergency Services Program Manager

How long have you been with the Red Cross?
Alex: 1 year and 3 months, with a lifetime commitment.
Katrina: 7 years


What's your most feared natural or man-made disaster?
Alex: I would definitely have to say the zombie apocalypse. That, and tidal waves. I know we live in a desert and over 200 miles away from any body of water but it still scares me. Actually, it's the man-eating sharks that scare me, oh, and the man-eating octopi, anything man-eating really!
Katrina: Natural Disasters I can handle, no problem hands down! It is the man-made ones that scare the pants off me! I go along with Alex and his zombie-phobia.  


What's the strangest or most important thing in your emergency preparedness kit?
Alex: Well I constantly am teaching individuals to have plenty of food and water in their kit, but me personally, I have stocked up on wine (red, of course). Wine is perfect, it contains some (I use that word loosely) water and only gets better with age, so I don't have to worry about those pesky expiration dates. Also, apart from a manual can opener, I obviously have a wine opener which will also come in handy to stab the zombies or sharks should it come to that!
Katrina: Zombies can't climb. So I keep my rock climbing gear in my kit. Why? Well I will have an advantage, since I will be able to swing and rappel my way across the buildings. 


What should individuals do to prepare this September?
Alex: Um...easy! Attend the Prep Rally or one of my Be Red Cross Ready community preparedness trainings! Or even better, request that we hold a special training at your workplace, school, or community center.
Katrina: When purchasing your food for your kit, don't purchase a lot of freeze dried food, it tastes horrible and if you aren't used to it, you won't want to eat it! Buy non-perishables that you enjoy and be sure to stay away from clearance items, those are usually just about to expire!

This is National Preparedness Month - Are You Ready?

The American Red Cross today announced a new initiative designed to improve disaster preparedness throughout seven counties in Central California. With the Prepare Central Valley campaign, the Red Cross will host disaster preparedness events to educate the community about how to be prepared for disasters.

The campaign will kick off during National Preparedness month with a “Prep Rally” in Courthouse Park, Downtown Fresno on September 9, 2011 from 11:00am to 1:00pm. A variety of disaster preparedness organizations will provide information and activities for adults and children, to help families prepare for different types of disaster.

Continuing its ongoing support of the American Red Cross, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has pledged one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to the Central Valley Region, as part of a $1 million gift to the Red Cross, supporting northern and central California communities.

"It is not a matter of if, but when the next disaster strikes. More likely than not, this will come in the form of a catastrophic flood or wildfire. The Prepare Central Valley campaign will help make sure that our residents have the tools they need to plan, lead and rebuild our diverse communities,” said Ellen Knapp, Regional Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Central Valley Region. “PG&E’s generous support of this preparedness campaign allows us to reach even further into communities across Central California, teaching residents how to be ready when disasters occur.”

”The Red Cross not only provides relief to those affected by disasters around the world, it also empowers individuals right here in our own community to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies,” said Ed Bedwell, vice president for government relations for PG&E. “PG&E’s support of the Prepare Central Valley campaign continues our longtime commitment to emergency preparedness in the communities we serve and is an extension of our proud history of supporting the American Red Cross.”

The Red Cross will work closely with community leaders, local businesses, government agencies, schools and nonprofit organizations to identify vulnerable neighborhoods, assess readiness needs, equip residents and community leaders with disaster preparedness and response skills, tools, supplies and plans, and foster sustainable relationships to continue the ongoing disaster preparedness efforts.

Join us at the "Prep Rally" on September 17th, to view the full flier, click here!