Together We Prepare
In February the American Red Cross unveiled a sweeping new national effort to prepare our country in the event of disaster or national emergency.
The Together We Prepare campaign includes five simple, but important steps to preparing for disaster: Make a plan, Build a kit, Get trained, Volunteer and Give blood. Be it traditional disasters like house fires and hurricanes or new potential disasters such as acts of terrorism or the use of weapons of mass destruction, these five simple, proactive actions can help each individual and every family be better prepared for whatever may come.
Make a Plan
The Red Cross has identified many elements of a successful disaster plan. Among them is identifying possible disaster scenarios and practicing what to do if evacuation is needed. Family members should pick a place to meet outside the home in case of a sudden emergency, like a fire, or outside the neighborhood in case it's too dangerous to return home. It is also important to choose in advance an out-of-town person family members will contact to check on each other should a disaster occur and they become separated. Leave these contact numbers at your children's schools, your workplace and with close friends and family.
Build a Kit
Whether evacuating or "sheltering in place" (staying where you are), a disaster supplies kit can saves lives. Prepare a disaster supplies kit in an easy-to-carry container such as a duffel bag or small plastic trash can. Include the following essential items: food supplies that do not require extensive preparation (canned soups, crackers, cereals and similar items are good choices); at least three gallons of tightly sealed bottled water per person in your household
(this provides for one gallon of water per person for at least three days); special needs items for any member of your household (such as infant formula, medicines or items for people with disabilities or older people); first aid supplies and a first aid reference book; a small flashlight and extra batteries; a change of clothing for each household member; sleeping bags or bedroll for each household member; Battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries; cash; and copies of essential family documents. It is very important to check all perishable and dated items at least twice a year, including things like food, batteries and medications.
Get Trained
Knowing what to do when disaster strikes means getting trained - and the Red Cross can help do that. There are at least four areas of training that are appropriate for disaster preparedness.
Community Disaster Education is designed to help people prepare for disasters and other unexpected emergencies.
First aid and Responding to Emergencies (RTE) classes teach a variety of skills that help citizen responders sustain life and to minimize pain and the consequences of injury or sudden illness until professional medical help arrives.
CPR training teaches how to provide care for breathing and cardiac emergencies in adult, child or infant victims until professional medical help arrives.
Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) training teaches how to recognize the signals of a heart attack and how to deal with the first few minutes of cardiac arrest until professional medical help arrives.
Volunteer
Approximately 1.2 million people volunteer for the Red Cross, and volunteers make up 90% of all American Red Cross staff. Those are incredible numbers, but we have room for even more volunteers! There is a place for everyone at the Red Cross.
Give Blood
Blood donors are desperately needed. Demand is high, and when disaster strikes supplies are further strained. Did you know every two seconds, a person in the United States needs a blood transfusion? And blood stocks need to be replenished constantly. Red blood cells have a shelf life of only 42 days. Platelets have a shelf life of only five days!
It's easy to save lives by giving blood, yet only five percent of the eligible U.S. population donates. All healthy men and women who are at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more are eligible to donate blood.
With the Together We Prepare campaign, the Red Cross wants to remind everyone that we're all in this together. And together, by caring for one another, we'll make it through. The Red Cross believes people will respond to a call to work together to make our community safer. People want to help - they just are just looking for the opportunity to do so.
The Red Cross has been responding to disasters for more than 120 years. We respond to more than 67,000 disasters every year - from an entire region uprooted by a hurricane to a single family devastated by a house fire. For more information on "Together We Prepare" and its five steps, including how to make a plan, build a kit, get trained, volunteer and give blood, is available by contacting your local Red Cross chapter.
