Topic: American Red Cross

Tricks, Treats, Costumes and Safety: Red Cross offers Halloween safety tips

October 29, 2008 |

With witches, goblins, and super-heroes descending on neighborhoods across America, the American Red Cross offers parents some safety tips to help prepare their children for a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treat holiday.

Halloween should be filled with surprise and enjoyment, and following some common sense practices can keep events safer and more fun.

• Walk, slither, and sneak on sidewalks, not in the street.
• Look both ways before crossing the street to check for cars, trucks, and low-flying brooms.
• Cross the street only at corners.
• Don’t hide or cross the street between parked cars.
• Wear light-colored or reflective-type clothing so you are more visible. (And remember to put reflective tape on bikes, skateboards, and brooms, too!)
• Plan your route and share it with your family. If possible, have an adult go with you.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure, Education, Events | 1 Comment »

Red Cross hosts volunteer luncheon

September 18, 2008 |

The Fall Quarterly Volunteer Luncheon and “Get Together” will be held on September 25th at noon at the Chapter Office, 585 South Riverside Drive, Suite L. This will be a bring your own brown bag lunch.  Red Cross volunteers are encouraged  stop by for some conversation and fellowship with the staff and your fellow volunteers.

Sections: Events, News | No Comments

III: Are you ready for disaster? Plan to survive!

August 6, 2008 |

Editors Note: This is Chapter 3 in a reprint of this five-part series, published on Daily Kos and origianally published online by AlphaGeek {9.9.05}. From the diaries — Plutonium Page. The series offers a practical way to assess risk and prepare a variety of disaster scenarios. The series will appear chapter by chapter at 3 p.m. through Friday.

“In the first 48 to 72 hours of an emergency, many Americans will have to look after themselves.”

– David Paulison, 2005 FEMA Director Nominee

Preparedness for emergency situations is not a solitary pursuit.

Each of us lives in the context of a larger society. Few among us could survive for long without the support of myriad other people and institutions we depend upon for our daily needs. A realistic disaster plan must balance these dependencies against the stark truth that you are likely to be required to survive outside this system for days or weeks at a time at some point in your life.

Being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I’ve learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

This is the third installment in a multi-part series on personal disaster preparedness. Your humble correspondent is a Silicon Valley technical executive with both professional and personal experience in risk assessment and disaster-readiness planning. Links to reference materials, including planning guides and reference information, will be found at the end of the final Diaries in this series. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Issues, News, Opinion | No Comments

II. Are you ready for disaster? Plan to survive!

August 5, 2008 |

Editors Note: This is Chapter 2 in a reprint of this five-part series, published on Daily Kos and originally published online by AlphaGeek {9.9.05}. From the diaries — Plutonium Page. The series offers a practical way to assess risk and prepare a variety of disaster scenarios. The series will appear chapter by chapter at 3 p.m. through Friday.

Chance favors the prepared mind. - Louis Pasteur

In any given disaster situation, you will find a group of people who maximize their chances for survival by making the correct choices before, during, and after the crisis. These folks have a few things in common:

• Each of them personally decided that he/she was going to survive
• They accurately assessed their immediate and near-term risks and needs
• They made the best plan they could based on available resources
• They executed that plan in a flexible, adaptive manner
• They kept going until they had reached safety, and did not give up

The single most important thing you can do to survive a disaster is to be mentally prepared.

Being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I’ve learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

This is the second installment in a multi-part series on personal disaster preparedness. Your humble correspondent is a Silicon Valley technical executive with both professional and personal experience in risk assessment and disaster-readiness planning. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, Education, Issues, Opinion | No Comments

I. Are you ready for disaster? Assess your risk

August 4, 2008 |

Editors Note: We are offering a reprint of this five-part article, published on Daily Kos and originally published online by AlphaGeek {9.9.05}. From the diaries — Plutonium Page. The series offers a practical way to assess risk and prepare a variety of disaster scenarios. The series will appear chapter by chapter at 3 p.m. today through Friday.

Something bad is going to happen, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

Preparing to deal with a disaster is like going off of a ski jump. If you put off your planning until things start happening, it’s far too late to make much of a difference. Once you’re headed down that ski jump, the time for planning and preparation is over.

On the other hand, being prepared for disaster does not have to be time-consuming or expensive. In this multi-part series of DailyKos Diaries, I will share with you, dear reader, many of the lessons I’ve learned regarding the most effective ways to prepare for an emergency.

This is the first installment in a multi-part series on personal disaster preparedness. Your humble correspondent is a Silicon Valley technical executive with both professional and personal experience in risk assessment and disaster-readiness planning. Links to reference materials, including planning guides and reference information, will be found at the end of the final Diaries in this series. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Education, Issues, News, Opinion | No Comments

Councilor Doyle seeks city council support for Red Cross emergency vehicle

By Christine Anne Piesyk | May 29, 2008 |

The City Council Finance Committee Tuesday rejected Ward 10 Councilor Jim Doyle’s request for $80,000 in municipal appropriations to assist the local Red Cross in acquiring an emergency response vehicle. The Red Cross ERV and all of its equipment was burned to rubble by an arsonist, and insurance on that older vehicle fell far short of replacement value.

Red Cross Executive Director Linda McCoy, Health and Safety Director Patricia Brown, and Emergency Services Director Cecil Stout stand before the charred ruin of the emergency response vehicle.

Since the rejection of the request must still come before the council in executive session, tonight Red Cross Executive Director Linda McCoy, Emergency Response Director Cecil Stout, and Logistics expert Mike Vogt will offer a presentation to councilors on the need for this vehicle and the impact its loss has had on the agency’s ability to effectively respond in its service area. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | 2 Comments

Supercells for Super Tuesday? Maybe!

By Christine Anne Piesyk | February 5, 2008 |

New England’s “old timers” used to say “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute…”

It’s a thought that is holding true in middle Tennessee, which saw a mix of bone-chilling cold, snow, icy and icy rain — and a snow day for school age children — just last week. With those winter storms still fresh in our minds, we will be shedding our winter gear today as temperatures climb into the 70s by midday, and a summery dewpoint of 60+ is forecast. Tornadoes may on the agenda as well. Supercells for Super Tuesday.

As voters mass to the polls to cast votes in the state’s presidential primary, one of 24 primaries held nationwide today, clouds will be massing to the west, ready to roll through faster than bus on the campaign trail.

The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for an area including western and middle Tennessee through Tuesday night that calls for high winds, wind shear, and a fast moving cold front that “will be favorable for supercell tornadoes to form during the evening.” That cold front is expected to hit the Mississippi River by midnight, will push potentially severe storms well ahead of the actual front. Which means that late day voters should keep an eye on the sky. An an ear tuned to possible tornado sirens. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News | No Comments