Stores across the area are hosting a Hurricane Preparedness and Awareness event throughout the weekend.

There will be tables set up in all stores providing shelter information, preparation checklists, pet needs, as well as special needs and senior citizen registration forms.

These types of events with information distribution and registration set up near preparedness supply displays are a net positive as they do bring attention to the subject, the creation/replenishment of some shoppers’ emergency kits and occasionally fundraising for the non-profits. However, they end up being far short of what is necessary. That’s too bad since there is such great potential for what could be accomplished if the government, non-profit preparedness groups and businesses in the field really focused in a creative, sustained way on what they could do together to address the shortcomings in citizen disaster readiness.

The key is to restructure these kinds of events to give the public far more real, tangible and significant incentives (primarily financial but also logistical, educational and even entertainment) to prepare, which is something that business working with government and non-profits could do as part of an integrated, ongoing marketing campaign. The fact is that when we really want to change social behavior as a nation we do it through the carrot or the stick. The carrot is the preferable tool for this issue, but it needs to be used. And, thus far, incentives and vegetables have largely been missing from the preparedness effort, which helps explain the lack of progress.

There is a need to design and implement new citizen preparedness campaigns using strategic marketing partnerships between government and business with the goal of significantly increasing public readiness and societal resilience.

My proposal in a nutshell is that marketing campaigns and events be created at a national, state and local level to with government and non-profits working with companies in preparedness-related products businesses to offer major discounts tied to citizens taking actual readiness steps recommended by Ready.Gov and local emergency management offices.

It is a subject that I have thought a lot about, largely because I think that getting private sector far more involved in emergency citizen preparedness is a (maybe ‘the’) key to improving citizen readiness. I have also spoken extensively with government, non-profit and corporate officials about how they might work together on advance preparedness in a way that serves their (and the public’s) interest. My strong feeling is that to do so would not take much more than more attention and focus and would result in a win-win-win-win for those stakeholders and the citizenry.

At last week’s Red Cross Emergency Social Data Summit, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate underscored the role of the private sector in disasters. “We have to figure out how leverage government and private sector resources to change outcomes.”

He said private sector involvement should be seen as a “bottom line” issue rather than just a feel-good pr move. That’s clear after a disaster as companies try to re-open quickly to serve customers in the community. And, that business-case approach should be similarly applied when it comes to advance preparedness. The fact is that the more prepared the public is, the better it is for the private sector. Business is key because as Fugate told me last year, “the bully pulpit is not enough”.

Government officials realize they need significant private sector involvement to market preparedness to the public, but have been unable to pull such an integrated program together as marketing is not government’s expertise. However, public preparedness needs to be developed and marketed as a consumer brand. Particularly since Hurricane Katrina, the corporate sector has become far more involved in disaster policy, but it has focused mostly (and often very successfully) on post-event recovery and response. Yet, there has been little attention given to have the private sector help create pre-event initiatives and messaging that would prepare citizens and institutions for emergencies in advance.

Government citizen preparedness campaigns over the past few years have raised awareness but not significantly enough to change societal behavior. This has been due to a lack of reach, frequency and sustainability of the communication, and the public’s inability or unwillingness to follow the actions recommended. No matter how good and robust the message, behavior will not change unless actions being recommended are made more turn-key, familiar and affordable. Government officials ask the public to buy supplies, make plans and educate themselves without offering them enough assistance to accomplish these not insubstantial tasks (and are asked to do so with even less incentives than other public sector campaigns provide).

Yet, the current conditions would appear to be auspicious for such an new corporate/government partnership to take on preparedness: the public is interested in becoming more prepared; major corporations are committed to the disaster issue and can offer products, resources and capacity. For them, preparedness provides excellent opportunity to ‘do good and do well’ increasing store traffic and selling products while improving community resilience; and non profit preparedness groups, most prominently the American Red Cross, have the experience and credibility to facilitate this partnership. And, as mentioned above, a priority of FEMA Administrator Fugate is to get the private sector involved in a way to “change outcomes”. Yet focus, coordination and leadership are still necessary “to connect the dots” for each stakeholder.

The range of disaster preparedness products from manufacturing companies that can be involved are endless: Bottled Water, Flashlights; Wireless Phones, Radios; Energy Bars; Canned Food; First Aid Kits. On the retail side, it can involve any store that sells these products, particularly ‘big box’ outlets and supermarkets. The campaign would also involve corporate trade groups, such as the Wireless Foundation and the Business Roundtable, which have been very involved in getting their members involved in disaster issues.

An example of the type of preparedness event I’m thinking about would include “In-Store Workshops” but with significant discounts and giveaways tied to information and actual completion of readiness steps:

* Big-Box/Grocery Stores Supply Kit Creation-Replenishment – This would be similar to the current preparedness in-store events. However, they would be far more involved and would offer consumers more benefits and assistance for coming in. There would be a specific area where employees along with local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Red Cross volunteers would be answering readiness questions.

Advertisements in advance would invite individuals and families come in with emergency communications plans (or fill them out in the store) and in return they would receive a significant discount on supplies or free products (ie. if you purchase a case of bottled water, you would get your emergency supply thrown in). And if a customer signed up to volunteer to CERT or Red Cross Disaster Services volunteer, they would get a bigger discount.

In addition, customers would be provided branded bags so adults — and kids — can make/replenish their own ‘go-bag’ (if they didn’t want to buy a pre-made kit). Again, the stores would discount the supplies significantly and CERT, Red Cross and government  officials would be there to answer questions.

* Mobile Phone Retail Outlets – The mobile communications companies are eager to show their value of their products  to customers in emergencies so their retail stores would be excellent settings for preparedness events/trainings. Among the activities that could be set up: helping people register for government emergency text/e-mail alerts. I’d also like to see a event/photo-op with kids teaching their parents about texting and its role in an emergency. Here again, the companies would offer customers extra free text/phone minutes for completing the preparedness steps (I’d also like to see discounts on extra batteries though the companies do make excellent margins on the extras.)

I also think this setting would be a good place for people to learn about how the role of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to help people in a crisis. can be very usewith be a place for families and friend also  and families and friends setting up social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, to teach how they can be used before and during emergencies.

Government could also increase the effectiveness of such an initiative by creating tax-free preparedness product periods as Virginia and Louisiana have (and we’re trying to do here in New York), which add more financial incentives, increase store buy-in and garner more media attention for preparedness.

The key is to pull all of these stakeholders together — connecting the information with accessible, useful and affordable products along with expert and peer-to-peer guidance –in a sustained, integrated way. I will be continuing to work on these partnership ideas and would be interested in any thoughts from readers.

The Red Cross has organized a series of preparedness events for personnel and families on military bases, including one at Fort Belvoir earlier this summer and another at Fort Polk last month. The families were able to build an emergency preparedness kit and learn about emergency preparedness, according to a news release from Leann Murphy, CEO of the American Red Cross of Central Louisiana:

The goal is to provide 1,500 families at each location with basic elements of an emergency/disaster kit. The items that will be made available for military families at the event include:

ARC multipurpose lantern, Two LED flow sticks, Two emergency preparedness drawstring bags, Self-powered AM/FM National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration radio, Personal safety pack, Mini water storage system, and Multi-tool.

Red Cross volunteer teams from across Louisiana will be will be available to demonstrate how to assemble a disaster kit and to provide community disaster preparedness information. Other Fort Polk agencies and units will be supporting the event as well.

A military family at an American Red Cross preparedness event (Photo: Daniel Cima)

Ok. Everything seems all good. To me, there is no group that deserves free preparedness supplies than military families. And, it’s obviously better now that thousands of families are better prepared as a result of this initiative. However, here’s my ‘no good turn’ BUT — the fact that they are receiving their emergency kits gratis just underlines the challenge of getting the rest of the public to purchase or put together theirs. It is not inexpensive to do. And though it is great that thousands of military families get them free, it also underscores that fact that if emergency officials want the rest of the public to do so they need to make it easier and cheaper.

As I have proposed, one way would be for the Red Cross and government officials to work with the private sector to provide discounts on emergency products as part of an emergency supply marketing initiative which would lower the price and logistical obstacles for the public. That would help a wider range of Americans — including military families — build their emergency supply kits.

The public’s interest in free or discounted preparedness supplies was underscored this morning on the Red Cross’ Facebook page where the Eton Corporation gave away 700 free “Blackout Buddies,” an emergency LED blackout flashlight that plugs and recharges straight from a wall socket, in 30 minutes. Again, this giveaway is a positive private sector/Red Cross partnership, but it also serves to underline the need.

Eton Corporation’s “Blackout Buddy”

To enter, tweet just one thing that you’re doing to get prepared for emergencies to @RedCrossPDX and use the hashtag #just1thing.

It’s a terrific contest — fun, spurs action and creates a good preparedness list. Anyone can share anything they’re doing to get prepared at any time, but new this year each week of September will have a special theme and corresponding prize: Sept. 1-10: Children; Sept. 13-17: Families; Sept. 20-24: Workplace; Sept. 27-30: Pets. All participants are welcome, however only Oregon residents are eligible for prizes (valued at $100), to be awarded via random drawing.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate may want to enter the contest. Last month, he said in an interview that for National Preparedness Month, he wants Americans to do at least one thing: create an emergency communications plan for their family.

Here are some of the entries from last year:

KalCobalt: Gave house keys to trusted folks so if I’m separated from home by an emergency, my kitty can be cared for!

LouiseHornor: If we get separated from each other or our RV, our emergency meeting place will be closest Red Cross chapter. #just1thing

OberLaw: have beefed up supplies and created redundancy – car, home, work. inventoried everything w/ expiration dates!

nika7k: am dehydrating fruits, veg, trail mixes, and backpacking soups in case we have to eat w/o power! #just1thing

Bolz42: My #just1thing for today…staying home and not getting the office sick…

jcrawfordor: Finally joining Amateur Radio Group to participate in disaster management trainings

eakunkel: I’m putting together a disaster supplies kit (http://bit.ly/RLFvb) for the folks I’m house-sitting for

artisticbaker: I’m trying to keep first aid supplies handy in our house

MelindaJoy926: I’m buying bottled water

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 in an emergency preparedness kit — fits that bill. The Toronto event launched a 3-week in-store campaign at Walmart in support of Canadian Red Cross local disaster relief operations.

When all the food had been tasted, Walmart District Manager Eeva Jalo took home (or to her office) the coveted 1st annual Golden Spoon award. Her dish — a combination of salsa, tuna, chickpeas, parsley, and cayenne and black pepper — beat out a group of aspiring top disaster chefs with a number from the first responder community. The other — apparently tasty  – entries included Chief of Emergency Management Ontario Dan Hefkey’s ‘Tex-Mex’ corn, crab and salsa filling in a soft taco shell.

Walmart District Manager Eeva Jalo shows her prestigious Golden Spoon award.

The idea for the competition came from a Red Cross staffer, Jen Mayville, who initially held a party “to experiment to see what sort of dishes we could create in a disaster-type situation. We got together for a dinner party and each made one dish with the following guidelines: No electricity could be used in the cooking process, No tap water, Only non-perishable food.” The cook-off came out of that evening. The Atlantic Canada chapter held a similar contest earlier this month.

Eeva Jalo’s Golden Spoon winner was made from tuna, chickpeas, salsa and spices.

There was a whole lot of information, ideas and energy among the 200 attendees at the Red Cross’ Hall of Service in Washington and the hundreds of others who joined remotely from around the U.S. and the world. Red Cross’ CEO Gail McGovern summed up the event very well late in the afternoon when she said “my brain is exploding” from everything she took in during the day. (C-SPAN filmed the parts of the conference, which can be found here.)

I thought I would ask one of the Summit organizers, Red Cross Social Media Director Wendy Harman, for her initial thoughts on the day and the next steps. In the five-and-half-minute video below, Harman offers a nice summary for those who were not able to attend in person or remotely. Harman discusses the goals of the conference including identifying and raising awareness of the gaps in disaster response, reaching consensus on what can be done to address the issues, and beginning to determine future action items. She hopes the event helped get the attention of the emergency management and non-profit community of the potential of technology to assist and tap the capacity of regular citizens in crises.

American Red Cross Social Media Director Wendy Harman Discusses The “Emergency Social Data Summit”

As far as future steps, Harman says that the Red Cross will be going through and analyzing all the discussions both inside the conference room as well as online. It will be reporting out the findings by completing the Summit White Paper whose initial chapters can be read here.

Those interested in the follow-up, Harman says, should check the Summit wiki (which now has the reports of roundtables both at the event and on Twitter with some initial ideas on proposals and priorities). Harman says she hopes anyone who has some ideas should contribute them to the wiki.

Harman also raises an interesting idea that was discussed throughout the day — should there be a 4th basic citizen preparedness step added to “Get A Kit”, “Make A Plan”, & “Get Informed” along the lines of “getting to know your community” which might range from asking citizens to store emergency numbers in their mobile phones to personally connecting with their neighbors in advance of an emergency situation.

I think this is a good idea which both captures the need to integrate new technology into preparedness recommendations and also better highlights the fact that personal community building should featured more as a key citizen disaster resilience objective. I have written often about to need to better define what ‘preparedness’ means for the public, and I believe this proposal should be part of those discussions.

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 upcoming National Preparedness Month in September. The four-and-half-minute video is below.

My videography does leave a little bit to be desired (the shakiness was not the result of a sudden earthquake in D.C. though there were some powerful storms in the area, and there is also short break in the interview after the first question as I fiddle with a sticky Flip camera button. (I am a little out of practice having not shot a video for the blog in 7 months.)

In the video, which was shot in the kitchen of the Red Cross’ Hall of Service, Fugate says:

* social media provides FEMA and other emergency management agencies the chance to get 2-way input from disaster survivors to better shape response to their needs in a crisis. He notes FEMA is trying to offer emergency information to the public in “flexible” formats that match how they will be using it before and during a disaster (such as on their smartphones).

* his Twitter account @CraigatFEMA (and he does his own “tweets) helps “get rid of the mystique of being an administrator of a federal agency. There always seem to be these barriers between you and interacting with people everyday.”

* for National Preparedness Month, he wants Americans to do at least one thing: create an emergency communications plan for their family. Fugate says that sometimes authorities make preparedness too complex and believes developing a family plan — described on most emergency management websites — is a good disaster readiness “first step”. (He also slips in some nice words about this blog in this answer, which were totally unsolicited but very much appreciated.)

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate talks about social media, preparedness and the public.

(UPDATE: Ed O’Keefe who writes the interesting “Federal Eye” blog for The Washington Post was at the Crisis Data event and just did a post about the Fugate interview here.)

National Weather Service has issued a Sever Thunder Storm warning for the District Of Columbia and Metropolitan area. Scattered showers & Thunderstorms will affect the Washington area until 745AM Thunderstorms will contain cloud to ground lighting along with Locally heavy rain hail size of quarters with damaging winds in excess of 60MPH Storm moving southwest at 25MPH

Though the participants do not need any more motivation, the weather will only underscore the need for this summit. You can follow and participate in the conference remotely. More information on doing so and the conference can be found in yesterday’s post. I will be writing about the event later in the day.

The study, “Bringing Help, Bringing Hope,” says the Red Cross has improved response capacity in large part by developing more extensive partnerships with non-profit community groups as well as government; added more pre-positioned supplies; trained many more volunteers; and added technology tools to assist the relief effort.

According to a news release from the Southeast Louisiana Red Cross chapter:

One critical lesson was that the Red Cross needed to increase its capacity to respond and build partnerships with other organizations that can help in large events. As a result, the Red Cross established a nationwide warehouse system and pre-positioned more than two Katrinas’ worth of disaster relief supplies in warehouses—enough to support 350,000 shelter residents. It also enhanced local, state and national-level planning efforts to plan for how it would respond to large-scale disasters and created new partnerships with national, state and local groups to help ensure that all segments of the community are served after a disaster.

In the past five years, the Red Cross expanded the number of trained disaster volunteers from 25,000 to nearly 95,000, including nearly 50,000 available to travel to disasters around the country. The organization also created tools for the public to use during a disaster, including a National Shelter System accessible online, and a “Safe and Well” website to reconnect families during disasters, including through social media.

“The hurricanes of 2005 tested us all,” said [Russ] Paulsen, [executive director of the Hurricane Recovery Program at the American National Red Cross] “Although we’re on better footing than we were five years ago, every individual and community has to be on board in order for our country to be more disaster-ready. There is much more that we as a nation can do. Everyone—government, businesses, non-profits and the faith community—needs to work together to have better prepared communities,” said Paulsen.

The growth of partnerships with non-profit community groups is a topic that I learned a lot about when I had the opportunity to moderate a Red Cross “Town Hall” on the subject in Washington, which included Kay Wilkins, CEO of the Southeast Louisiana chapter.

The full report can be found here.

It is the organization’s first “Emergency Crisis Data Summit: Answering The Cry For Help” which will bring together government agencies, emergency management professionals, disaster response organizations and tech companies to discuss how best to harness the communications power of new media to prepare and respond to crises.

The day-long event — whose agenda is here –will be open and broadcast on the internet (more information about the Summit can be found here). You can keep track and take part in the conference using several social media properties:

* It will be ustreamed live via the NextGenWeb site. Register on Eventbrite for ustream details. The archived U-Stream will be available online, too, and on the Emergency Social Data blog. C-SPAN will also be providing coverage of the event.

* You can participate in the Twitter discussion at the hashtag #crisisdata as well as add to or comment on the Summit’s aggregated information via the Emergency Social Data Wiki. There will be a formal Twitter chat at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT featuring questions from @ntenhross and @ikepigott.

* In person attendees will update their observations and impressions via the Whrrl Emergency Social Data Society .

I will be attending the Summit and will be writing it up on the blog.

The Red Cross will be publishing a White Paper “The Case For Integrating Crisis Response With Social Media,” based on the Summit’s discussions (The early chapters have already been posted in advance on the Social Data blog to help frame the event’s agenda — I recommend taking a look at them as they provide a good overview/history of the subject.)

American Red Cross’ Social Media Director Wendy Harman doing a walkthrough at the Hall of Service in Washington where the Emergency Crisis Data Summit will take place Thursday.

In fact, 74 percent of those polled expected help to come less than an hour after their tweet or Facebook post.

The Red Cross commissioned the survey in advance of its Emergency Social Data Summit set for Thursday, August 12, in Washington, D.C. The meeting, convened by the Red Cross, will bring together thought leaders and experts in the government, social media, emergency response and the non-profit sectors to discuss better ways to handle information that flows through the web during disasters.

According to the Red Cross press release:

The online survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through a digital means such as e-mail, websites or social media. If web users knew of someone else who needed help, 44 percent would ask other people in their social network to contact authorities, 35 percent would post a request for help directly on a response agency’s Facebook page and 28 percent would send a direct Twitter message to responders.

Web users also have clear expectations about how first responders should be answering their requests. The survey showed that 69 percent said that emergency responders should be monitoring social media sites in order to quickly send help—and nearly half believe a response agency is probably already responding to any urgent request they might see.

As the story I posted yesterday about the Boston subway flasher indicates, not all government agencies are yet monitoring social media.

The survey also found that among web users, social media sites are the fourth most popular source for emergency information, just behind television news, radio and online news sites. More web users say they get their emergency information from social media than from a NOAA weather radio, government website or emergency text message system.

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 children in school, students are entering college, and healthcare workers are preparing for the upcoming flu season.

Last week, I wrote about the Get Ready preparedness campaign of the American Public Health Association (APHA), which calls for immunization as part of the basic emergency readiness steps. Though immunization is not presented as part of the Department of Homeland Security/Ready.Gov emergency preparedness recommendations (last year with the threat of the H1N1 flu was an exception), including those shots as part of the overall message does make some sense, because it is a more familiar public health action.

It might be a good way to introduce citizens to the emergency preparedness in a less threatening way. Conveniently both National Immunization Awareness Month and National Preparedness Month occur sequentially around the beginning of the school year. (And, the Red Cross suggests that when parents buy back-to-school supplies, they consider adding an emergency preparedness kit to the shopping list.)

Of course, an argument can also be made that adding another step might dilute the Preparedness Month message, particularly if terrorism awareness is also potentially added as was discussed in a recent blog post.

According to an article in the Telegraph Journal of St. John, New Brunswick, the Red Cross invited three teams of cooks and gave them the challenge of cooking a meal using only non-perishable ingredients. The event — aimed at promoting the value of creating a 72-hour emergency kit — was held at a local Walmart which has been working with the Red Cross in August to raise awareness and funds for emergency preparedness:

The winning team was Lily’s Café executive chef Jake Guptill and sous-chef Nick Shaw, who prepared a dessert of peaches with honey, mixed fruit and various spreads and a main course of chicken vegetable fajitas.

Guptill said the team’s strategy was to keep it simple and incorporate all of the food groups…Mayor Ivan Court and Neil Bauman, a shelter adviser with the Red Cross, judged the dishes and chose Lily’s Café as the winner. Court said that, for him, taste won out when he was deciding who should win.

Nick Shaw and Jake Guptill won the Red Cross’ “Disaster Dining” cook-off using only non-perishable food found in a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit. (Photo: Kâté Braydon/Telegraph-Journal).

Thanks to the Twitter feed @Steveisready for bringing this story to my attention.

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.

New Twitter user and pet preparedness expert, Jade Thompson

According to a story on the American Red Cross website, “Knowing Pet First Aid Can Save Your Best Friend’s Life,” Chris has rescued Jade on a couple of occasions, including most recently on this past July 4th:

Chris recounts several lessons she learned from this nightmare scenario.

“Just like a child, even if they are not intending to swim, pets should have a life jacket on,” said Thompson.

She also added, “You actually can revive a dog if you react quickly enough. You just need to know how to resuscitate him. I am very grateful for what Red Cross classes taught me.”

Chris, who runs her own disaster response non-profit group, Humanity Road, hopes she and Jade can turn their scary experiences into a positive by disseminating helpful information to pet owners through the new Twitter feed which you can find here.

In the video, Curtis a long-time Red Cross volunteer, says she has added a family picture, chocolate, candy, games, rechargeable flashlight, dental floss, almonds and chips to her kit. And she adds: “I live in earthquake country, where there will be a lot of broken glass, so I suggest solid shoes for every member of your family.” [I have personalized my kit with earplugs (after spending a day in a shelter while playing a victim in New York City hurricane drill), a deck of playing cards, stuffed animals (for the kids) and an extra BlackBerry battery.]

To me, one of the biggest gaps in citizen preparedness communications is the lack of personalization and humanization. The messaging is far too institutional, and the result is that people largely do not respond. Expert officials ask average citizens to create emergency plans and kits, research threats and do practice run-throughs, but they never show them how (and if) they do it for themselves. The fact is that I have found many of them have not actually gone through the process.

As a result, they do not have a full understanding of the challenges for the public in taking what seem to be simple preparedness steps but are not particularly easy for laypeople — there are always many questions and hidden obstacles for civilians going through the preparedness process. But those are almost never addressed in a personal way by those in authority, which is a major reason why the messages do not largely get through to the public. While officials are always asking the public “what’s your plan?” or “what’s in your kit?” but rarely tell us what’s in their plan or their kit.

The reality is that it’s not so easy to do a plan, make a kit and get informed on sometimes unfamiliar and scary topics, and feel that you are actually doing something that will really help you in an emergency. Citizens have to rely on others (ie. schools, workplaces, doctors, government offices) in accessing information to put together these contingency plans, which again is not so straightforward.

In fact, just to take one of those institutions we are asking the public to rely on, a recent Save the Children study found that “fewer than one quarter of all states and the District of Columbia have enacted four basic safeguards to protect kids who are in school or child care during disasters, such as requiring all licensed child care centers to have a plan to reunite children with their families and requiring schools to have a clear written evacuation plan in place.”

Jamie Lee Curtis’ American Red Cross preparedness video, “What’s In My Kit”.

Now, it is true that emergency management officials are not going react like regular citizens in a disaster but instead will be likely be working managing the situation. So, they may not have to plan for themselves in the same way an average person would. However, most have families who are going to prepare and respond along with the rest of the public. Former White House Terrorism Adviser Fran Townsend told me that even though she would normally be engaged during a crisis, she had developed an emergency communications plan with her husband and kids.

And ex-Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described to me trying to locate his daughter on 9/11 when he was in the Justice Department; to me it humanized disaster preparedness and planning in a way that a list on website just never can. I encouraged him to use that story as a way to get through to other parents. The fact is that every emergency management official is also a citizen; it would be helpful for other citizens if officials show that perspective more, and it would be similarly useful for leaders to take that point of view more in their preparedness planning and communications.

Along the lines of the Jamie Lee Curtis video, I think it would be useful if those government emergency management leaders offered the public more information their own efforts to prepare. It would also be interesting if other Red Cross folks (leaders, staff and volunteers of chapters around the U.S., including President Gail McGovern) talked about their own family emergency planning. And, frankly in this celebrity-driven society, having other high profile personalities like Curtis would be helpful as well in providing models and inspiration — how about Kiefer Sutherland a.k.a. Jack Bauer talking about the challenge of creating an emergency plan for his family without the help of CTU?

A NPR story, “During CPR, Locking Lips May Not Be Necessary,” explains:

Many people are uncomfortable with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, so they don’t attempt CPR at all. And when they do, they interrupt chest compressions too long to do rescue breathing.

Scientists now think that chest compressions are more crucial, because immediately after the heart stops, the blood contains residual oxygen for a few minutes. Circulating this blood — until the EMTs arrive and can begin more effective oxygen supplementation — is probably more important.

Another advantage to a more streamlined form of citizen CPR: It’s easier to coach over the phone. So the EMTs who field 911 calls will be more likely to persuade bystanders to try CPR.

Making CPR easier to do — as well as to learn and then renew — is a topic that has frequently come up on the blog. Don’t tell anyone but my CPR certification has expired, and I need to take the refresher course.

A CPR training held by the Red Cross of Greater New York where I took my course.

I realize a) most readers aren’t nearby the Cotton Bowl and b) it’s short notice. But I just heard about it from the Dallas Red Cross Twitter feed and figured I’d post it for anyone in the area. The details can be found on the chapter’s blog, “Red Alert” (which by the way I think is a very clever name for a Red Cross blog).

Vince Howard and Coach Taylor in an episode of “Friday Night Lights”

*Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio for critical updates from the National Weather Service (NWS).

*Never leave children or pets alone in enclosed vehicles.

*Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids even if you do not feel thirsty. Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol.

*Eat small meals and eat more often.

*Avoid extreme temperature changes.

*Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun’s rays.

*Slow down, stay indoors and avoid strenuous exercise during the hottest part of the day.

*Postpone outdoor games and activities.

*Use a buddy system when working in excessive heat.

*Take frequent breaks if you must work outdoors.

*Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, who spend much of their time alone or who are more likely to be affected by the heat.

*Check on your animals frequently to ensure that they are not suffering from the heat.

Children sprayed down with water at a cooling station on the National Mall near the Washington Monument in Washington (UPI Photo)

‘Thank you’ video by Red Cross in Greater New York

She threw out the ceremonial first pitch (video below), while the Stadium scoreboard asked the crowd to make a text donation to the Red Cross (photo below). And, the public address announcer urged fans to take steps to prepare for unexpected emergencies.I don’t know how successful the texting or preparedness solicitation were, but her throw to Yankees’ catcher Jorge Posada looked pretty good.

Gail McGovern throws out ‘first pitch’ at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.

Stadium scoreboard asks for text donations to Red Cross

Thanks to Red Cross Blog (for the video) and the Red Cross in Greater New York (for the photo).

• Share your travel plans with a family member, neighbor or friend

• Listen to area radio and television stations and a NOAA Weather Radio for possible flood warnings and reports of flooding in progress or other critical information from the National Weather Service.

• Be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

• When a flood or flash flood warning is issued for your area, head for higher ground and stay there.

• Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way — 6 inches of swiftly moving water can sweep you off of your feet.

• If you come upon a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way.

• If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than 2 feet of moving water.

• Keep children out of the water, as their curiosity could cause them to get too close to fast-moving flood waters.

• Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood danger.

Download our Flood Safety checklist, visit redcross.org or contact your local Red Cross for additional information on how to prepare for emergencies and to get trained.

This blog’s ongoing effort to find creative ideas for engaging the public on preparedness brings us to celebrity chef David Bouley’s Test Kitchen in downtown Manhattan. Bouley along with American Red Cross of Greater New York created an event last week, which paired gourmet dining with CPR training. According to the story on the Red Cross’ website:

Guests were first treated to a 30-minute reception with hors d’oeuvres that were prepared right before their eyes by Bouley Test Kitchen chefs. This was then followed by a CPR training protocol specifically designed by American Red Cross in Greater NY CPR instructors for this type of venue. The protocol, which included an instructive video and hands-on instruction and demonstrations, focused on raising awareness of the importance of adult CPR skills and providing guests with an opportunity to experience hands-on practice of these skills.

“In the culinary world and in life, whether it is with the right ingredients and/or the right training, one needs to be prepared,” said Chef Bouley, who graciously donated the evening’s food and wine. “We are proud to sponsor an evening of fine dining paired with the important CPR lifesaving training provided by the American Red Cross in Greater New York. Our goal is to demonstrate how to help save a life in two valuable ways ––eating right and being CPR-trained.”

Diners receiving pre-dinner training at David Bouley’s Test Kitchen during the National CPR Week event.

According to a story on the Red Cross website about the Ft. Belvoir gathering:

Those participating in the preparedness event received Red Cross bags filled with important items such as a mini lantern, glow sticks, an Eton emergency radio, Red Cross vintage first aid kit, emergency water storage system, multipurpose tool and a family guide to first aid.

In addition, senior preparedness leaders from the Red Cross had a table with personal items—pet food, toothbrushes, snacks and children’s toys—to remind people of the kinds of things they might want to take if they had to evacuate due to an emergency or disaster. They reminded participants of the need to bring prescriptions as well as extra cash to use in the event that ATMs are not working due to power failures.

Now, there is no group that deserves free preparedness supplies than military families. But the fact that they are receiving emergency kits gratis underlines the challenge of getting the rest of the public to purchase theirs.

The Governor’s Island bike helmet giveaway is one of a series of safety events held by the City’s Department of Transportation. It is another example of a public service campaign that uses an incentive (as part of a win-win partnership with the private sector) to accomplish its goal.

However, to date, governments have tried to achieve citizen preparedness largely without any carrots or sticks. It’s just not realistic. We need to integrate incentives — such as Ft.Belvoir-type events — into readiness programs for the broader  public.

A military family at Saturday’s American Red Cross preparedness event at Ft. Belvoir (Photo: Daniel Cima)

If you Tweet (hashtag #smpl&surprising) the link to help others get prepared, you will be entered for a chance to win a $500 gift card and get $500 donated in your name to your local American Red Cross chapter.

For more information on the program click here.

Actress and Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet Member Raven Symone’s emergency preparedness video

The “Are You Red Cross Ready?” video, which was filmed on the OSD campus, informs people about three important actions everyone should take to become prepared for emergencies. The three actions emphasized in the video are; 1) Get a Kit. 2) Make a Plan and 3) Be Informed.

Oregon School for the Deaf video “Are You Red Cross Ready In Sign Language?”

Thanks to the READYColorado Twitter feed where I first heard about this.