Other Resources

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Preparing for the Severe Weather Season

When the weather turns violent, the American Red Cross is there providing hope and helping people rebuild their lives. In addition to being a resource after a disaster, the Red Cross urges individuals to take the time to prepare for potential disasters.

Time to Think About Fire Safety

As the weather turns colder, the risk factors for house fires increase.

Terrorism: Preparing for the Unexpected

Information from American National Red Cross.

Homeland Security Advisory System

Terror Threat Color Code System.

American Red Cross Guide for Families Affected By Transportation Disasters

Audience: Families. Provides information regarding the assistance available through the Red Cross during a transportation disaster. This document outlines the establishment and purpose of a Family Assistance

Services range from coordination of meetings with federal authorities to transportation arrangements for affected families. In addition, information is provided regarding common reactions to a transportation disaster.

Helping Young Children Cope With Trauma

Audience: Parents and caregivers of children ages 2-18. Provides information regarding children’s reactions and feelings to transportation disasters. Suggestions are provided for dealing with the fears and anxieties of children in the target audience.

When Bad Things Happen

Audience: Middle school aged children. Provides information about the emotional and physical reactions pre-teens may have to disaster and gives tips to help put the event in perspective in their lives. It also provides suggestions that might help manage these reactions.

Why Do I Feel Like This?

Audience: High school aged students. Provides information about the emotional and physical reactions teens may be having in times of disaster. Helps them understand what reactions are “normal” and recommends how to deal with these reactions.

Severe Weather

When the weather turns violent, the American Red Cross is there providing hope and helping people rebuild their lives. In addition to being a resource after a disaster, the Red Cross urges individuals to take the time to prepare for potential disasters.

You can prepare your family and our community by building a disaster kit, making an emergency response plan, getting trained in CPR and First Aid, giving blood and volunteering.

The Red Cross suggests following checklist below when creating an emergency response plan:

• All household members should meet to discuss dangers of fire, severe weather, power outages, and other possible emergencies
• Discuss what safety steps each household member will take in each emergency situation
• Plan for response to personal injuries
• Post emergency telephone numbers and teach children to dial 911 to call police, fire, and emergency medical services
• Know how to turn off water, gas and electricity with main switches
• Decide where your family should meet outside of the home in the event of a fire. Also, decide on a location outside the neighborhood in case you can?t return home because of a disaster
• Look into purchasing renters insurance before disaster (especially house fire) strikes. Often, the price of this normally affordable protection rises significantly after a family has experienced a disaster

Escape Safely

• Once you are out, stay out! Call the fire department from a neighbor’s home
• If you see smoke or fire in your first escape route, use your second way out. If you must exit through smoke, crawl low under the smoke to your exit
• If you are escaping through a closed door, feel the door before opening it. If it is warm, use your second way out
• If smoke, heat, or flames block your exit routes, stay in the room with the door closed. Signal for help using a bright-colored cloth at the window. If there is a telephone in the room, call the fire department and tell them where you are

Plan Your Escape Routes

• Determine at least two ways to escape from every room of your home
• Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas on the second or third floor. Learn how to use them and store them near the window
• Select a location outside your home where everyone would meet after escaping
• Practice your escape plan at least twice a year

Make Your Home Fire Safe

• Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm outside each sleeping area and on each additional level of your home
• If people sleep with doors closed, install smoke alarms inside sleeping areas, too
• Use the test button to check each smoke alarm once a month. When necessary, replace batteries immediately. Replace all batteries at least once a year
• Smoke alarms become less sensitive over time. Replace your smoke alarms every ten years
• Consider having one or more working fire extinguishers in your home. Get training from the fire department in how to use them
• Inspect fireplaces and wood stoves—Have your chimney connections and flues inspected by a professional and cleaned if necessary prior to the start of the heating season. Burn only wood-never burn paper

Fire

As the weather turns colder, the risk factors for house fires increase, especially as the holidays approach. These fires, from Thanksgiving through January 1, typically injure thousands and wreak $500 million in property damage across the United States.

Below is one family’s story about the importance of being prepared. It was originally published in the Fall ‘09 edition of Commitments.

Emergency plan keeps family safe

I’m just glad we had a plan,” Heather said. “It probably saved our lives.”

Heather Howell and her two daughters, Jordyn, 10, and Alyssa, 8, lived in their home for six years until it came crashing down because of a kitchen fire. Fortunately, they had two things working in their favor: they had a plan and Red Cross was on the scene.

Heather had reviewed with the girls how to take action during a fire if there ever was one in their south Wichita home. She had shown her children how to tell if a fire was behind a door with the back side of your hand and told them where to go after they got out of the house. “How will we know when there’s a fire?” the girls asked. “You’ll just know,” Heather replied. On April 9, a grease fire overwhelmed the kitchen and eventually the house. Heather was frantic, yet the girls were calm and prepared. Heather’s hands shook so badly she could barely call 911. Unruffled, Alyssa and Jordyn marched out of the house with their bags and puppy within seconds of noticing the smoke.

“The girls knew exactly what to do and how to do it,” Heather said.

Police barricaded the street as the fire department tried to extinguish the blaze. The family watched their home burn down from the bumper of a fire truck. They lost virtually everything, but Heather reassured the girls that everything would be okay. When asked if they needed Red Cross, a neighbor insisted they get help.

That evening, Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers arrived to help Heather and the girls recover. The DAT volunteers worked as a team with one talking with Heather to get her the assistance she needed while the other walked through the rubble evaluating the destruction. Because they lost everything, the Red Cross provided then family with more than $3,000 in assistance to get back on their feet.

Now, thanks to the Red Cross, the girls live in a new home within walking distance to their school. And when they went back to school, they wore new clothes purchased with Red Cross donations. They’re still meeting their new neighbors and still practicing their family escape plan. Aside from a few charred keepsakes, Heather, Alyssa and Jordyn have little to show from the traumatic experience just five months ago.

“The Red Cross was awesome. I didn’t realize they did so much,” Heather said. “They provided us with immediate help.”

Get Prepared

Make a Plan.

Planning ahead is the first step to a calmer and more assured disaster response. Make sure your family creates and practices a family disaster plan.

Build a Kit

Assemble a disaster supplies kit in the at home and in your vehicle(s). What you have on hand when a disaster happens can make a big difference. You should plan to store enough supplies for everyone in your household for at least three days.

Get Trained.

Get First Aid, CPR and AED training and attend Community Disaster Education presentations such as the Preparing for the Unexpected course.

Volunteer

Few Americans are untouched by Red Cross services—all made possible by volunteers. Your community needs help. Give your time through volunteering. There are many needs and many ways to serve. Click here to find out more.

Give Blood.

Become a regular and frequent blood donor to ensure a blood supply that meets all needs, all of the time. To learn more about donating blood contact the Central Plains Region Blood Services here.