preparedness | redcrossphillyblog

With Hurricane Isaac on its way, you can now keep track of your loved ones who are in disasters path! The American Red Cross released its new official hurricane app for iPhone and Android users. And while it won’t be able to stop the awful conditions, it will help you be prepared with easy to understand and follow step-by-step instructions. So, before you rush out to the grocery store for eggs and bread, I would suggest downloading this FREE app for preloaded checklists, tracker maps, and alerts.

Here’s a look at what the new Red Cross hurricane app looks like

Fortunately, I have not experienced extreme hurricane conditions in my lifetime, but I have loved ones who live in areas more prone to such conditions than Philadelphia, like Florida and New Jersey. This app sends you real-time hurricane alerts for your area, or any location that you choose. These alerts are sent straight to your phone as soon as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issues them, even if the app is closed. For each location you set to monitor, the app sends you hurricane warnings, as well as alerts for tropical storms and floods.

What I think is great about this app is the toolkit located in the top left corner. It comes with emergency tools like a flashlight, strobe light, alarm and an “I’m Safe” feature. This allows you to connect with others to let them know you are ok in the face of danger with only the touch of a button. You can personalize your message beforehand and share via Twitter, Facebook, SMS, and email.

You’d be amazed how the littlest preparations could save you from a lot of grief. Some of these hurricane preparedness tips are ones that I would never think of, like filling your car’s gas tank or putting your refrigerator on its coldest setting – so if you lose power, the contents will stay cooler longer. In addition to preparation pointers, this app has information on what to do immediately before, during and after the hurricane hits.

There is also a feature that lets users map locations and shelter details across the United States. You can zoom in on local area and view details on each shelter, such as which agency is managing the shelter, its capacity and current population, the disaster event and the specific shelter address or location. It is quick and easy.

This app is useful even when you’re not necessarily faced with an alert or warning at the moment. Prepare for disaster by testing your hurricane knowledge and preparedness. There are three quiz categories (history, knowledge and prepare) in which you can earn achievements and share them with your friends. And if you are particularly interested in hurricane history, you can also look back 150 years and see how many hurricanes have hit your area. In Philadelphia, we’ve experienced 34 hurricanes – the top speed being 135 mph!

The hurricane app is the second in a series of preparedness apps the Red Cross is releasing. Several weeks ago, the Red Cross unveiled a first-aid app that has been very helpful to me in providing tips for treating major and minor medical emergencies. Needless to say I was excited to add another preparedness app to use in case of disaster. (Not to mention, many preparedness tips and tactics can easily translate to other disasters.)

Take a look at this video for more information:

(download here for iPhone and here for Android)

-Kelsey Crater

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross is holding a Tornado Readiness Drill in Chester County this weekend.

Wow. . . . really?!

When I was a kid growing up in the Philadelphia region we didn’t talk much about tornadoes. These strange, powerful, spiraling storms were something that happened to other people in some distant part of our land, or better yet, a magical force that dropped a house on a Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz.

I maintained this state of blissful ignorance until 2005, when a Microburst (an extreme weather event similar to a tornado), dropped about 35 ancient trees in our town in northern New Jersey. Trees came down on several houses, on almost every main road and on power lines. It took only five minutes of extreme summer weather to make an idyllic suburban landscape treacherous for everyone and impenetrable for emergency responders.

Tornadoes popped up in some unusual places in the summer of 2011. One roared down the main street of Springfield, Massachusetts in the first few days of June. You read that right, my friends – Massachusetts. It was one of 19 tornadoes in New England that day. Four people were killed in those storms. On May 19^th, 2011, in Northeast Philadelphia, a tornado touched down in the mid-afternoon with 75 mile per hour winds and a 100 by 300 ft. path of destruction.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross takes the increased threat of tornadoes in our region very seriously. We strive to prevent disasters, prepare for their aftermath and alleviate the suffering of victims. In order to succeed, we must practice. We do so by conducting Readiness Drills at locations in our vicinity that may need assistance in the event of a weather related emergency. To this end, we will conduct a Tornado Readiness Drill on Saturday, June 2 at Avon Grove High School in West Grove, Pa. between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Chester County Department of Emergency Services, Chester County Animal Response Team, Medical Reserve Corps, and Chester County Food Bank, will take part in training volunteers to respond to a hypothetical severe tornado where homes and businesses are destroyed and hundreds of people need a safe place to go.

Last year, a hurricane readiness drill (pictures above) proved invaluable when Hurricane Irene hit our region in August. Participants who practiced critical disaster relief skills like sheltering, food distribution, providing basic medical and childcare needs, caring for pets, and overall disaster response decision making were better able to anticipate problems and meet the needs of those affected. Although these are weather based drills, they help us practice our response to any large scale disaster.

If you are one of our generous donors, you not only support our response to disasters, your donation also helps us prepare for events we don’t know about yet. We could not hold these practice drills without your contributions and we are so grateful for your support of our efforts to be better prepared in the event of an emergency.

If last year, and indeed the last 10 years are any indication, tornadoes are no longer something that Philadelphia area children wonder about in ignorance. They are now part of our world. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross will be there, and with the knowledge we gain from preparedness drills like the one in Chester County this weekend, we will be ready.

—redcrossphillyblog

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