If National Preparedness Month has inspired you to want to volunteer in your community to assist in emergency preparedness and response, I wanted to post an article by Darryl Madden, Director of the Ready Program, “Be Part of the Preparedness Team.” In the piece, he offers some suggestions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s grassroots readiness initiative, [...]
On National Preparedness Month, Some Ways You Can Volunteer To Help Your Community Become More Prepared For Emergencies
September 6th, 2010 · 1 Comment
Tags: Federal Emergency Management Administration · Volunteer Opportunities
As Power Blackouts Increase, Public Should Make Sure They Have Backup Power For Their Mobile, Smart Phones
September 5th, 2010 · 1 Comment
A recent article on CNN.com “U.S. electricity blackouts skyrocketing,” reported on the national increase in non-disaster-related power outages:
During the past two decades, such blackouts have increased 124 percent — up from 41 blackouts between 1991 and 1995, to 92 between 2001 and 2005, according to research at the University of Minnesota. In the most recently analyzed [...]
Tags: Power Failures · Preparedness Ideas
On Veterans Day: Thank You, Fifth Avenue Parade, Special DHS Website, Red Cross’ “Holiday Mail For Heroes”
November 11th, 2009 · No Comments
To all veterans, thank you. I had the great opportunity to attend today’s Veterans Day parade on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.
MARCHERS AT TODAY’S VETERANS DAY PARADE ON FIFTH AVENUE IN NEW YORK CITY
A relatively big (though not nearly big enough) and emotional crowd lined the parade route shouting “thank you” to the marching veterans, young and old. [...]
Tags: Department of Homeland Security · Red Cross
Red Cross Wants You To “Do More Than Cross Your Fingers” Before Disaster Strikes; New Campaign Launches Today
September 1st, 2009 · No Comments
The American Red Cross is launching a new campaign, “Do More Than Cross Your Fingers,” today hoping to make it easier for Americans to prepare for emergencies. The campaign’s spokeswoman is Jamie Lee Curtis, a long-time Red Cross volunteer and advocate for personal preparedness in her home state of California.
The campaign will encourage Americans to take [...]
Tags: Preparedness Games · Preparedness Ideas · Red Cross
Napolitano’s CPR Training Offers Some Lessons: Integrate Into Workplace, Commitment From Top, Schedule Follow-Up A Year Later
August 26th, 2009 · 3 Comments
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and more than 25 senior DHS officials  received CPR and first aid training from American Red Cross trainers at the Department’s headquarters in Northwest Washington, D.C. on Friday. During the two-hour session, Secretary Napolitano and her staff received hands-on training from Red Cross instructors in cardiopulmonary resuscitation [...]
Tags: Preparedness Events · Preparedness Ideas
Government Reevaluating Ready.Gov Preparedness Recommendations For Public: “Get A Plan” Getting More Emphasis, “Get A Kit” Getting Less, “Get Trained” Getting New Attention
August 24th, 2009 · 4 Comments
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 [...]
Tags: Federal Emergency Management Administration · Preparedness Tips
Ready.Gov, Red Cross Adding Mobile Phones To Basic Emergency Preparedness Supply Kit Recommendation
May 18th, 2009 · 5 Comments
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.Gov program and the American Red Cross are adding mobile phones and chargers to its recommendations for basic supplies in citizen emergency preparedness kits. This marks both a real and symbolic step for wireless communications and social media in public emergency preparedness and response.Â
The Red Cross has already changed [...]
Tags: Department of Homeland Security · Preparedness 2.0 · Red Cross
Give Valuable Blood, Win Valuable Prizes And Maybe A Date
March 4th, 2009 · 1 Comment
As someone now benefiting from periodic transfusions, I’ve been promoting the importance of blood and platelet donations. I am also always on the lookout for innovative consumer marketing approaches in the preparedness area. So, I wanted to highlight two ideas I heard about recently.
First, I learned that the New York Blood Center has a ‘frequent [...]
Tags: Cause Marketing · Red Cross · Volunteer Opportunities
Red Cross President McGovern Says Increasing Citizen Preparedness Is A Top Priority
February 2nd, 2009 · 1 Comment
A former top business executive is recruited from the private sector to take over one of the country’s most venerated non-profit organizations at a crucial moment in its history right in the midst of a national economic crisis. Sounds like a managerial situation that might be found in one of the famous case studies from the [...]
Tags: Red Cross
It’s National Blood Donor Month — And Daily, I Am Reminded Of Its Importance
January 22nd, 2009 · 6 Comments
As I have mentioned previously, I was diagnosed with leukemia in October. As part of my treatment, I regularly receive blood and platelet transfusions after chemotherapy.
While I sit watching the bags drip into my arm in the hospital clinic, I cannot help but think about the people who have taken the time — and weathered [...]
Tags: Red Cross