As of 10/31/12 the East Georgia Red Cross will no longer post on the CROSSword blog. For up-to-date posts about the Red Cross East Georgia (including disaster services and blood services) please follow the Red Cross Results Blog. Thank you for your interest and support!
My name is Timm Brown and I am an American Red Cross volunteer. In the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, I was deployed to Southern Mississippi along with another East Georgia Volunteer, MaryJane Webb. We were part of a 10 truck convoy fully loaded with supplies and worked in Mississippi for 10 days. Though exhausting, the experience was extremely rewarding. I’d like to share a story of the first day we arrived in Mississippi:
Our first assignment after arriving in Hattiesburg, Mississippi was to drive our loaded 30-foot box truck to areas that needed supplies. MaryJane had been in touch with a Facebook friend who lived in the area who told us that her house and many others in her neighborhood had been flooded. We drove straight there, but immediately saw that the entire street was severely flooded; the water was up to the top of the street signs. We pulled over and began talking to the people there who told us about another neighborhood past this one that was trapped in the flooding. We told them if they could bring those people to us, we could give them supplies. The neighborhood brought in two boats and a big wheel pick-up and began setting up a rescue operation. As word got out, people began arriving from all over for supplies. The boats made countless trips back and forth. The people were very gracious and orderly and stood patiently in the 95 degree sun while the two of us served them as fast as possible. A few even pitched in and helped with the work. There were still many people in line when our product ran out, but we promised them that, if possible, we would be back the next day with more. We were able to keep that promise and returned the next day with another truckload and spent that whole day distributing cleaning kits, trash bags, rakes, shovels, water, and more to the people who greatly needed it.
One other side note:
We were told that a nearby alligator farm had been flooded and several gators had escaped. We never saw any of them but they said a few were in the area. Guess they knew better than to mess with a couple of tough East Georgia Red Cross volunteers on a mission!
Photo: American.redcross.org
The biggest disaster threat to an American family isn’t floods, hurricanes, or tornadoes; it’s fire. On average the American Red Cross responds to over 63,000 house fires per year, that’s one fire every nine seconds.
House fires can happen quickly and unexpectedly so it is important for families to take the appropriate safety measures to prevent these disasters.
The Red Cross recommends two easy steps to preventing house fires: get a fire alarm and create a fire escape plan.
Place smoke alarms on every level of the house and be sure to test/replace batteries at least once a year.
Home fire plans should have at least two escape routes from every room in your house. Your family members should also select a safe meeting spot away from your home where your family can reunite after the fire. Be sure to discuss this plan with your family and practice it at least twice a year.
Also be sure to download the Red Cross First Aid app on iTunes or on Google Play Store for life-saving information that can help you in common emergencies.
Post By: Samantha Slappey, Public Relations Intern
Volunteers: Did you have a birthday or anniversary in September? The Red Cross East Georgia Chapter appreciates all of your hard work and hopes you had a great one!
Birthdays
Chrstine O’Neal 1-Sep
Dawn Holm 8-Sep
Ronald Dickson 13-Sep
Edward Rollor 14-Sep
MaryJane Phillips 17-Sep
Charles Grubbs 19-Sep
Anniversaries
Timm Brown 2-Sep, 2009 3 years served
Roland Matson 5-Sep, 2000 12 years served
Frank Hilton 20-Sep, 2006 6 years served
Victoria Young 20-Sep, 2006 6 years served
Troy Douglas 26-Sep 1997 15 years served
Credit: Health.ny.gov
With colder weather coming up right around the corner, everyone should take the proper steps to prevent themselves and their loved ones from being infected by the flu.
Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious disease caused by different strains of viruses. Flu viruses can be spread from person to person through various types of contact. Adults have the potential to infect others one day before getting symptoms and as long as five days after symptoms has appeared.
Different Types of Flu Outbreaks
How to Avoid Getting Sick
Written by: Samantha Slappey
Photo: ktaaa.org
Many natural events– as well as some man-made ones–can cause sudden power outages. Outages at any length can be frustrating and bothersome, and prolonged ones can sometimes be dangerous. When your refrigerator goes out, special food safety measures must be taken.
Perishable foods such as milk, meats, and eggs should not be stored above 40 degrees for longer than 2 hours. If the outage is shorter than 2 hours, there is no need for concern. However, if the outage lasts for a longer period of time, you should be prepared to save your food. By planning ahead, you can keep your family’s health safe.
Things you will need
What to do
Posted by Samantha Slappey
Written by Samantha Slappey
In the event of an emergency, it is important to make sure your entire family is prepared. You may not always be together when these events happen so you should have a plan that allows you to contact on another.
The American Red Cross suggests meeting with your family in order to discuss how to prepare and respond to potential emergencies. You should identify the responsibilities of each member in your household and plan to work together as a team.
Plan family meeting spots in case you are separated during an emergency. For sudden emergencies, like fires, plan to meet outside of your house. For emergencies where you need to evacuate your home, plan to meet somewhere safe outside of your neighborhood.
Families should also choose an out-of-area contact person just in case local phone lines are out of service.
that you and your family need to evacuate, choose a destination and the route you would take to get there. You should practice your evacuation route twice a year. Be sure to know alternate routes that will take you there in case there is a road blockage. If you have pets, keep a list of pet friendly hotels/motels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation route. If you get separated from your family, you can always let them know you’re ok with the ‘I’m Safe’ button on the Red Cross Hurricane App. The app is free to download on iTunes and Google Play. Visit RedCross.org for more details.
Hurricane Isaac has affected several communities along the Gulf Coast and the Red Cross is responding across multiple states by providing thousands of people with food and shelter.
The Red Cross is prepared to meet people’s emergency needs and is starting to move more volunteers, equipment and supplies into communities as the storm passes.
The Red Cross has served more than 22,000 meals and snacks as of Wednesday night and has 311,000 more ready-to-eat meals and kitchen support trailers in the area. The Southern Baptist Convention also has mobile kitchens capable of producing thousands of meals a day.
Before Isaac struck, the Red Cross prepared 197 emergency response vehicles, additional volunteers and trailers of relief supplies just outside the impact area, and is now starting to move assistance into the affected communities.
In the days ahead, trailers of relief supplies will distribute things like clean-up and personal hygiene items, cots, blankets, coolers, shovels, rakes, tarps, gloves and masks.
About 3,000 trained Red Cross disaster workers from all over the United States have also been deployed to the Gulf region to help. So far, the East Georgia Red Cross has deployed two volunteers to Florida and one to Mississippi to help with relief efforts.
If you or someone you know needs to find a shelter you can download the Red Cross Hurricane app from iTunes or Google Play, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or check local media outlets.
By Samantha Slappey
With National Preparedness Month rapidly approaching, we all need to assure that we are staying disaster-ready not only in our homes, but also in our workplaces.
For many businesses and organizations, figuring out how to prepare for an emergency can feel both confusing and time-consuming. However, with the help of the American Red Cross Ready Rating program, you can learn the best tips and practices that can easily prepare your business for any emergency.
The Ready Rating Program is a free membership program designed to help organizations and schools become better prepared for emergencies. The program includes a 123 Assessment that measures your organization’s level of preparedness, customized emergency plans for your organization, a resource center for preparedness information and a shop where you can purchase preparedness supplies.
Companies that participate will receive a Ready Rating Seal that serves as a visible statement that you as an organization are committed to improving your level of preparedness for your employees and company as a whole.
For more information or to register your company please visit www.readyrating.org. You can never be too prepared when disaster strikes!
Volunteers: Did you have a birthday or anniversary in August? The Red Cross East Georgia Chapter appreciates all of your hard work and hopes you had a great one!
|
Volunteer Birthdays for August |
|
| Name | Date |
| Ron Laughton | 2-Aug |
| Rachel Moss Smith | 11-Aug |
| Herb Camp | 14-Aug |
| Emily Cheney | 15-Aug |
| Timm Brown | 17-Aug |
| Jonette Bell | 20-Aug |
| Carol Lemke | 23-Aug |
| Josephine Vaughn | 27-Aug |
| Kay Argroves | 30-Aug |
|
Volunteer Anniversaries for August |
|||
|
Name |
Date |
Year Joined |
Years with Red Cross as of June 2012 |
|
Lauren Barnhart |
1-Aug |
2008 |
4 |
|
Christine O’Neal |
8-Aug |
2011 |
1 |
|
Jonette Bell |
19-Aug |
2011 |
1 |
|
Josephine Vaughn |
16-Aug |
2007 |
5 |
|
Jane Russell |
25-Aug |
2009 |
3 |
The CROSSword 