In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

The American Red Cross today unveiled new and updated technology  – an improved “Safe and Well” site and a real-time way to find shelter — to help families during a disaster.

According to the Red Cross news release:

Safe and Well is a secure and easy-to-use online tool that allows people inside a disaster-affected area to list themselves as “safe and well” and for loved ones to search for these messages. Launched in 2006, the redesigned site now allows people to customize messages for loved ones and update their Facebook and Twitter statuses right from the site. In addition, a new mobile version of the site will make it easy for people to register or search from a smart phone.

Linking Safe and Well to Facebook and Twitter is an important step for the site and those who use it. In a recent Red Cross online survey, nearly half of all respondents said they would use social media sites to let their loved ones know they are safe in an emergency. Facebook was the most popular choice, named by 86 percent of those who would use social media to reassure their loved ones. Now, the Red Cross makes it easy to register on Safe and Well, and at the same time, participate in social media.

There are several ways to register on or search the Safe and Well site. From a computer, visit www.redcross.org and click on the “List Yourself or Search Registrants” link under “How to Get Help.” From a smart phone, visit www.redcross.org/safeandwell and click on the “List Yourself as Safe and Well” or “Search for friends and family” link. From any phone, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and one of our operators can help you register.

A video on Safe and Well can be found here.

The Red Cross’ “Find Shelter” is a new tool that pulls information from the National Shelter System and allows people to view a Google map of open Red Cross shelter locations and search for shelters closest to their location.

To access shelter information, visit www.redcross.org and click on the “Find Shelter” link. Shelters that are currently open will be displayed on the map or in the search results. The National Shelter System is owned and operated by the Red Cross and used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state and local governments, and other community agencies to track and report shelter information.