In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

During National Preparedness Month in September, the Red Cross Oregon Trail chapter ran a contest on Twitter called Just1Thing which asked twitterers to tweet just one thing they had done this month to become prepared.
Below is a list of the Just1Things that the twitterers did (I actually did just 2 things in an unsuccessful attempt to [...]

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The headquarters of the American Red Cross of Greater New York is just a few blocks away from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Manhattan’s West Side where the “Late Show With David Letterman” is taped. So, it’s only appropriate that the chapter’s employees just put together a ‘Top 10 Tips For Preparedness Month’ video (below) [...]

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There is an article in the October issue of Popular Mechanics, “How Self Reliance Can Get You Through Any Disaster” by Glenn Reynolds. According to Reynolds, who often writes about citizen preparedness on his blog, Instapundit,
“Here’s a simple truth: It’s better to bend than to break, and it’s best to be prepared for the worst. This [...]

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Via the Twitter feeds of FEMA Region 8 and the Citizen Corps, below are some of the tips from READYColorado’s “Top 10 List For Preparedness On A Budget”:
* Create your own personalized list. You may not need everything included in “ready made” kits and there may be additional items you need based on your personal situation.
* Budget emergency preparedness items as a “normal” expense. Even $20.00 a month can go a long way to helping you be ready. Buy one preparedness item each time you go to the grocery store.
* Request preparedness items as gifts. We all receive gifts we don’t need or use. What if  your friends and family members gave you gifts that could save your life? Don’t forget to protect them by sending preparedness gifts their way, too.
* If you are prepared, you may be able to help friends and neighbors who need assistance. By sharing preparedness supplies, you can help each other.
* Trade one night out to fund your 72-hour kit. Taking a family of four to the movies can cost upwards of $80-$100. Just one night of sacrifice could fund a 72-hour ready kit.
The full “Top 10″ list is here.

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The 10 finalists for the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) YouTube Flu Prevention PSA contest have been announced and posted on Flu.Gov. You can now vote here through September 16th for the winner who will receive a $2500 prize (and whose PSA will be featured on national television).
The finalists are all good and their entries [...]

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The creative folks from the Cross Blog at the Oregon Trail Red Cross chapter have just launched a contest called “Tell Us Just 1 Thing”. I’ll let them explain:
“On Twitter [@RedCrossPDX], tell us just one thing that you’re doing to get prepared this September (aka National Preparedness Month). To get you started, here are some quick [...]

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U.S. officials are reevaluating the government’s original post-9/11 Ready.Gov citizen preparedness recommendations and in public statements are already reprioritizing what they are urging Americans to do to prepare for disasters.
It means that Ready.Gov’s “Get A Kit, Make A Plan, Be Informed” framework — which has been used by many federal, state and local preparedness sites since [...]

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On this blog, I try to highlight examples of people who show what can be done by a single individual in the area of citizen preparedness — and may provide inspiration to others. The story of one such person, Lisbeth R., was recently featured in the “Safety & Security” section of the Serve.Gov website. Lisbeth explains [...]

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An Institute of Medicine panel has released a report saying that while a home-made nuclear bomb detonated in U.S. city would likely kill hundreds of thousands of people, there are actually things that can be done to increase the survivability for many others. That is, the committee argues, if the public is informed of those [...]

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Below are the winners of the ‘Send Me A Preparedness Tip, Win A Disaster Kit’ Contest. Readers were asked to send one of the following: an emergency preparedness tip, something you have done to prepare for a disaster, or a suggestion to improve preparedness in your community. Entries came by email, on the blog and [...]

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