In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

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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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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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 [...]

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There’s a new dog on Twitter, and she’s tweeting some helpful pet preparedness advice. Jade Thompson, a 17-year old cow dog and spaniel mixed breed, has just launched a new feed, @RedCrossDog. She’s getting editorial help from her owner Chris Thompson (a.k.a. @RedCrossMom) who knows first hand the value of being prepared for animal emergencies [...]

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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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Two new studies released yesterday indicate that doing “hands-only” CPR without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is just as effective. That’s good news as it is widely believed that a hesitancy to do rescue breaths keeps people from attempting the procedure.
A NPR story, “During CPR, Locking Lips May Not Be Necessary,” explains:
Many people are uncomfortable with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, [...]

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“Friday Night Lights” is one of my favorite tv programs, and the Red Cross is one of my favorite organizations. The show is filming at the Cotton Bowl stadium Friday and Saturday night and are looking for extras; the production is offering to donate $20 to the Red Cross Dallas chapter for each person who [...]

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As much of the nation (particularly the northeast) is experiencing extremely high temperatures, I thought would post the American Red Cross’ safety checklist for dealing with aheat wave. The tips include:
*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 [...]

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Giving recognition to volunteers in a disaster relief or any type of non-profit group. I liked this thank you video done by the Red Cross in Greater New York for several reasons: it shows the variety of tasks and backgrounds of Red Cross volunteers, it features a terrific song, “Simply The Best” by Tina Turner; [...]

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On Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium, American Red Cross President Gail McGovern was ‘pitching’ in more ways than one.
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 [...]

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