         |
|
| |
|
AMERICAN RED CROSS LAUNCHES “TOGETHER WE PREPARE” CAMPAIGNBuilding a Kit is Just One of Five Simple Steps to Make Communities Safer
WASHINGTON, DC, February 20, 2003— Today, the American Red Cross is launching a new nationwide campaign to help Americans prepare for emerging threats and disasters before they happen. The Together We Prepare campaign challenges people to take five proactive steps to help them make their families and neighborhoods safer. With nearly 1,000 Red Cross chapters and Blood Services regions nationwide, the organization is partnering with communities to enable individuals to be better prepared for all kinds of disasters, whether traditional disasters such as house fires or hurricanes or emerging new threats. The Red Cross is also offering a toll-free national preparedness information hotline 1-866-GET-INFO (1-866-438-4636) to provide callers with disaster safety and preparedness information.
Make a plan —The Red Cross is challenging every individual, family member, business or school to know what to do and where to go in the event of disaster. We recommend that individuals identify potential disaster scenarios and practice what to do if evacuation is needed. It is also important to identify an out-of-town person that each family member will contact in case of emergency. Build a kit — Whether evacuating or sheltering in place, a disaster supplies kit can save lives. The contents should be placed in an easy-to-carry container such as a large backpack, duffle bag or plastic bin. It is important to pack enough water (one gallon per person per day), non-perishable food items, flashlight, radio, extra batteries, special items such as medications, diapers, infant formula, etc. Get trained—The Red Cross offers training and courses that literally teach people to save lives. These courses include first aid, CPR and use of automatic defibrillators – AEDs. To contact your local chapter, please visit www.redcross.org and look for the zip-code finder on the front page. Volunteer—The Red Cross is a volunteer-driven organization with approximately 1.2 million volunteers totaling 97 percent of all staff. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities in Red Cross chapters and blood regions nationwide. If you’re worried about time commitments, your local Red Cross can work with you whatever your schedule and to offer you an assignment that matches with your interests. Give blood — Every two seconds a person in the United States needs a blood transfusion, yet only five percent of the eligible U.S. population donates. And blood inventory needs to be replenished constantly. Recent inclement weather has left certain parts of the country with less than a one-day supply. “Now more than ever Americans are concerned about personal safety and this campaign will offer individuals, families and communities peace of mind by providing proactive steps they can take to prepare for any type of disaster,” said Marsha J. Evans, President and CEO, American Red Cross. “These actions will help make our communities safer and connect people directly to the lifesaving work of their local Red Cross.” To help support the Together We Prepare nationwide campaign, the Red Cross has also teamed up with Duracell to launch specific local initiatives aimed at providing America’s families with information and tools to help them prepare for both man-made and natural emergencies. The partnership initiative includes the creation of an all-new step-by-step preparedness guidebook, outlining the critical steps to follow in preparing for any emergency. Guidebooks are available through local Red Cross chapters in major cities beginning March 6 or online at www.redcross.org or www.duracell.com. “The American Red Cross would like to thank Duracell for partnering with us to help educate families on how to prepare for emerging disasters,” Evans added. “Duracell is the first corporate partner to team with Red Cross chapters nationwide on this important new initiative.” Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 1,000 chapters and Blood Services regions dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide.
|
| © Copyright 2002 The American National Red Cross. All Rights Reserved. CONTACT US | SITE DIRECTORY | PRIVACY POLICY |