Download American Red Cross Disaster Apps
March is American Red Cross Month . Now is a good time to familiarize yourself with some of the disaster preparedness tools the Red Cross offers, including a variety of mobile applications (apps). The free apps provide alerts for weather hazards, first aid, shelter, pet first aid, and more.
As the winter weather hazards come to an end, you can use the weather-related apps to prepare for spring hazards, such as tornadoes and hurricanes.
Features of the tornado app include:
- An audible siren that automatically sounds when the app is closed if a tornado warning is issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA);
- A notification when the warning expires; and
- Instructions on what to do if cell phone towers and other communication are down.
Features of the hurricane app include:
- One touch “I'm safe” messaging that users can share with family members via social media outlets;
- Location-based NOAA weather alerts; and
- Checklists for creating a family emergency plan.
The Red Cross also offers a mobile application that engages children in disaster preparedness in a fun, exciting way. The “ Monster Guard ” app uses an interactive game to show kids how to stay safe when responding to emergencies at home.
Take action today! Download these apps to your tablet or smartphone using the Apple App Store or Android Google Play. Doing so counts as one of the ten ways to participate in America's PrepareAthon!, so be sure to register your actions on the campaign website.
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Spartanburg County to Hold First America's PrepareAthon! Event
On Wednesday, March 11, members of the Spartanburg County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in Spartanburg, S.C. will host their first America's PrepareAthon! event. The event will include a series of activities to help prepare the whole community for emergencies before they strike in a coordinated effort with the OEM's Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Event organizers are planning a county-wide tornado drill at 9 a.m. ET on the day of the event. Educational institutions, reaching 80,000 students from Spartanburg County schools, will participate in the tornado drill. Coinciding with the drill, event organizers will test Code Red, the county's emergency notification system; conduct a tabletop/functional exercise at the local emergency operations center; and activate the county's outdoor warning sirens. In addition, Spartanburg Regional Hospital and Mary Black Hospital will conduct tornado drill-based exercises for their respective employees.
One of the main goals of the event is to increase the number of subscribers to Code Red. Of the nearly 300,000 residents in Spartanburg County, approximately 73,000 residential phone numbers and 14,000 businesses phone numbers have already been registered in Code Red. To increase the number of subscribers, event organizers are conducting outreach to residents and business owners to encourage them to subscribe to the notification system.
The Local Emergency Planning Committee includes representatives from the private and nonprofit sectors, Spartanburg Regional Hospital, Mary Black Hospital, the school districts, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and many more. Spartanburg County will use volunteers from CERT to engage the community to promote the event. The county has one of the largest CERT programs in South Carolina, with over 1,000 members.
Want to plan a preparedness event for your family or community? Get started today! America's PrepareAthon! has FREE planning guides, toolkits, creative materials and more to prepare communities for six hazards (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and winter storms). Most of these resources are available in other languages , including Spanish, Japanese, and French.
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‘Spring Forward' with Tips to Make Your Home Safer
Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday March 8. As you “spring forward” for the time change, remember to change the batteries in your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector . The batteries should be replaced at least once a year to make sure the alarms operate properly.
By maintaining the alarms in your home, you can increase your chances of surviving a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. When fire breaks out, you only have seconds to escape its heat, black smoke, and deadly gases. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that fuel-burning heating and cooking devices often produce. It is often called the silent killer because it is odorless and colorless. The National Fire Protection Association offers tips for making your home safer:
- Place smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home and outside each bedroom. If you keep your bedroom doors closed, place a smoke alarm in each bedroom;
- Test alarms once a month;
- Never disable a smoke alarm when cooking; and
- Replace smoke alarms that are ten years old.
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Tools for a Disaster Prepared Business
According to FEMA's Preparedness in America Report , the workplace is one of the most effective environments for educating and encouraging people to take steps to be ready for disasters. In fact, when employers encourage employees to prepare for disasters, employees are 75 percent more likely to take action. The American Red Cross and America's PrepareAthon! offer free tools and resources to increase disaster preparedness in the workplace.
Employers can participate in the Red Cross Ready Rating Program to help their organization successfully withstand disasters and other emergencies. To join the program and become a Ready Rating member, employers complete a 123-point assessment of the preparedness level of their business. After the assessment, employers must take action to improve preparedness within the office and among employees. As a member, business owners can access an emergency response planner to create a tailored disaster plan and progress reports to track improvements.
Employers can also find valuable information in the Prepare Your Organization Playbooks from America's PrepareAthon! These Playbooks are a step-by-step guide to help business owners hold preparedness discussions and table top exercises in the workplace. Find playbooks to prepare your organization for six hazards and start planning today!
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Dates for Your Calendar!
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