In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

You know you’ve made it in New York City when the Empire State Building’s lights promote your cause. So, maybe preparedness is catching on in the Big Apple.
The City of New York’s Office of Emergency Management must be thrilled that the Empire State Building will be lit up in “READY New York Yellow” on the [...]

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Readers of this blog know I am a sucker for creative, fun preparedness events that involve business, community groups, government and the public — and also educate on emergency readiness.
Thursday’s Canadian Red Cross “Disaster Dining” contest — in which competitors had 30 minutes to prepare their best dish using only foods that would be found [...]

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Yesterday, I attended the American Red Cross’ first-ever “Emergency Social Data Summit”. It was a really interesting and invigorating day focusing on how to utilize new technologies, including social media, to address gaps in crisis preparedness and response.
There was a whole lot of information, ideas and energy among the 200 attendees at the Red Cross’ [...]

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After his well-received speech to the American Red Cross’ “Emergency Social Data Summit” yesterday, I had a chance to interview FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.
I asked him about the role of social media in disasters, how he has benefited from having (and tweeting on) his own Twitter account, and what he wants to accomplish during the [...]

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On this blog, we’re always looking for ways of making public preparedness more fun and engaging for the public, particularly young people. That’s why I wanted to highlight the work READYColorado’s Disaster Ready Training for middle and high school students. As has been written about here, Colorado has been a leader in youth preparedness initiatives.
One [...]

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Mike Coston at Avian Flu Diary reminded me that August is National Immunization Month (NIAM whose goal is:
to increase awareness about immunizations across the life span, from infants to the elderly.
August is the perfect time to remind family, friends, co-workers, and those in the community to catch up on their vaccinations. Parents are enrolling their [...]

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In the Boston Globe’s Sunday Travel section today, there’s an article about preparing for emergencies, including weather, health, politics and security, while going abroad. The piece notes:
Traveling should be fun-filled and worry-free. But vacationers leave behind the predictability and convenience of home. Travel can be complicated by unforeseen crises — medical emergencies, canceled flights, lost luggage, [...]

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The U.S. Army has declared August as Anti-Terrorism Awareness Month with installations throughout the country running programs stressing vigilance, reporting suspicious activities and protecting Army communities. The campaign is focused on families as well as uniformed personnel on bases.
According to an article on the Army’s website:
In February, the Department of the Army determined Anti-Terrorism Awareness [...]

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On this blog, we’re always on the lookout all over the continent (and the world) for fun and creative preparedness ideas. One I just read about is a “Disaster Dining” cook-off held yesterday by the Red Cross in Atlantic Canada.
According to an article in the Telegraph Journal of St. John, New Brunswick, the Red Cross invited [...]

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I recently watched an American Red Cross video that actress Jamie Lee Curtis made last year called “What’s In My Kit”. (see below). In the two-minute spot, Curtis shows how she has personalized her emergency kit to “make it more user friendly”. It’s a pretty straight forward video, but I wanted to highlight it, because [...]

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