Daylight Savings Time Begins This Weekend

Red Cross recommends checking smoke alarm batteries and updating emergency plans

It’s time to turn the clocks ahead this weekend, when daylight savings time officially begins at 2:00am Sunday, March 10. The American Red Cross urges everyone to use this time to prepare yourself and your loved ones for emergencies.

          Check your smoke alarm batteries: When you turn the clocks ahead, take a few minutes to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms and push the test button to make sure the alarms are working. It is also a great time to check your carbon monoxide detectors.

·         Get your household prepared: It’s important for everyone to make sure their household is ready and knows what to do should an emergency occur. The Red Cross wants everyone to know about the three steps they should take to be prepared:

1.       Get a Kit: Keep supplies in an easy-to-carry preparedness bag that you can use at home or take with you if you have to evacuate.

2.      Make a Plan: Meet with members of your household and discuss what emergencies could occur in your home, taking into account what type of disasters could happen in your neighborhood. Plan what steps everyone should if something happens.

3.      Be Informed: Learn what emergencies can occur in your area, and how officials will notify you should a disaster occur. Know the difference between weather watches and warnings. Tell others what you have learned so they can be ready, too.

Additional emergency preparedness tips are available at www.redcross.org, and you can schedule a free emergency preparedness education program at your school, business or other organization by calling (716) 886-7500.

Disaster can strike anywhere, anytime. To date, the American Red Cross, Serving Erie and Niagara Counties has responded to 43 fires in 2013, providing immediate emergency assistance including temporary housing, food and clothing to 229 people. The Red Cross spends an average of just over $1,000 when responding to a single house fire affecting a family of four.  To make a financial donation to help families affected by house fires and other disasters, please visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-REDCROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to charge a $10 donation to your cell phone bill.

Surprise!! Where Were You, Five Years Ago Today?

If you were living in Western New York at the time, you likely have vivid memories of October 12th, 2006.  At the time, I was not yet fortunate enough to be a member of the Red Cross family.  I left for my job at a local tv station that afternoon, thinking it was a little chilly and cursing those pesky white flakes for falling so early in the year.  As the evening wore on my wife called, very concerned.  She was hearing a constant cracking noise and was afraid a tree was going to fall into our house.  Later, she said we had lost power, branches were coming down everywhere, and she was going to a friends house.  That tree eventually did fall into our house, but instead of crashing through it just leaned against the structure.  Others weren't so lucky.

Back at the tv station, the sports office didn't have any windows, so we were pretty isolated from the outside world.  "How bad can it be?" I thought, and in my stubbornness I drove home at the end of the night.  Five years later, I still don't know how I made it.  Everywhere, trees and debris lay in the streets, and all the street lights were out.  Over the next several hours, the damage caused by the October Surprise storm became quite clear.  400,000 Western New Yorkers were without power (ours was out for a week) and 80% of roads in the area were impassable, according to the New York State Thruway Authority.  The impact can still be seen today, as some once tree-lined streets remain empty.

During times like the October Storm, people turn to the Red Cross to turn Heartbreak into Hope.  Even though they had their own cleanup issues to deal with, our Disaster Action Team worked with the emergency management teams of the City of Buffalo and Erie County to open multiple shelters across the area, giving those with nowhere else to turn a warm place to stay.  As always, our volunteers and staff members gave up their time and talents to help their neighbors in need over the days and weeks that followed.

The events of five years ago are called the "October Surprise" because no one saw that storm coming.    It's difficult to think about today with temperatures in the 60's, but we urge you to take steps now to make sure you're prepared before the next disaster strikes.  We have some winter storm safety tips on our website, and encourage you to schedule a free disaster preparedness program at your school, business, or organization.

Everyone who was in Western New York on October 12th, 2006 has their own storm stories.  Please share your October Surprise memories in the comments section here or over on our Facebook page, and when you're done, take a few minutes to make sure that emergency kit is ready to go.  You know, just in case!!

It's preparedness month... day 11

It's preparedness month! And we’re celebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! If you’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!!

Photo courtesy of elec-intro.com

Preparedness Tip #11
What if disaster strikes while you’re at work?  Do you know the emergency preparedness plan for your workplace?  While many companies have been more alert and pro-active in preparing for disasters of all types since the September 11, 2001 attacks, a national survey indicates that many employees still don’t know what their workplace plan is for major or minor disasters. If you don’t know yours, make a point to ask. Know multiple ways to exit your building, participate in workplace evacuation drills, and consider keeping some emergency supplies at the office. 


Visit www.ready.gov and click on Ready Business for more information about business preparedness.

It's preparedness month... day 10!

It's preparedness month! And we’re celebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! If you’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!!

Photo courtesy of the kidsmatter blog

Preparedness Tip #10
A community working together during an emergency makes sense.  

·         Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together during an emergency.

·         Find out if anyone has specialized equipment like a power generator, or expertise such as medical knowledge, that might help in a crisis.

·         Decide who will check on elderly or disabled neighbors.

·         Make back-up plans for children in case you can't get home in an emergency.

Sharing plans and communicating in advance is a great strategy!

It's preparedness month... day 9!

It's preparedness month! And we’re celebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! If you’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!!

Photo courtesy of Dennis Glines
and the Uintah County Fair

Preparedness Tip #9
Practice. Conduct fire drills and practice evacuating your home twice a year. Drive your planned evacuation route and plot alternate routes on a map in case main roads are blocked or gridlocked. Practice earthquake and tornado drills at home, school and work. Commit a weekend to update telephone numbers, emergency supplies and review your plan with everyone.

Not only will this help you and your family develop a plan... but practicing will also help you when in an emergency!! Panic is often times associated with an emergency, and that can make people do silly things that we wouldn't generally do.  For example, when children here smoke detectors they may hide under their beds, or people may be to scared to go out in the hallway when they smell smoke and huddle in a corner.  Because of this, we staunchly advocate Practice Practice Practice!!

• Test your smoke detectors so your household knows what they sound like
• Test your carbon monoxide detectors so your household know what they sound like
• Have a fire drill once or twice a year 
• Block off certain areas of the house and pretend they are on fire so the household has to practice the 2 ways out of each room rule 
• Make sure that once everyone gets out of the house you all meet at your family meeting place
• Discuss how you each got out and any concerns that developed
• Schedule a visit to a fire station so that your children can see what firemen do, and what they look like in all of their gear
• During fires, children are often scared of what the firemen look like and will run and hide thinking that they are a monster or alien

For more tips on keeping you and your family safe, visit us online!

Preparedness month... day 7!

It's preparedness month! And we’re celebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! If you’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!! 

Preparedness Tip #7

Check your child’s school Web site or call the school office to request a copy of the school’s emergency plan. Keep a copy at home and work or other places where you spend a lot of your time and make sure the school’s plan is incorporated into your family’s emergency plan.  Also, learn about the disaster plans at your workplace or other places where you and your family spend time.

Photo courtesy of educationnews.org

You can never be too prepared!! If something were to ever happen, you’ll be happing knowing that you’ve taken the little steps now, so that you’re prepared then!!

Preparedness Month... Day 6!

It's preparedness month! And we’re celebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! If you’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!! 

Photo courtesy of
www.deep.med.miami.edu

Preparedness Tip #3

Choose an emergency contact person outside your area because it may be easier to call long distance than locally after a local/regional disaster. Take a minute now to call or e-mail an out-of-town friend or family member to ask him or her to be your family’s designated contact in the event of an emergency. Be sure to share the contact's phone number with everyone in the family. During an emergency, you can call your contact who can share with other family members where you are; how you are doing; and how to get in contact with you.

Preparedness Tip #4

Complete an emergency contact card and make copies for each member of your family to carry with them. Be sure to include an out-of-town contact on your contact card. It may be easier to reach someone out of town if local phone lines are out of service or overloaded. You should also have at least one traditionally wired landline phone, as cordless or cellular phones may not work in an emergency. Visit us online or www.ready.gov for sample emergency contact cards.

Preparedness Tip #5

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but due to health regulations, most emergency shelters cannot house animals. Find out in advance how to care for your pets and working animals when disaster strikes. Pets should not be left behind, but could be taken to a veterinary office, family member’s home or animal shelter during an emergency.  Also be sure to store extra food and water for pets. For more information, visit the Animal Safety section on www.redcross.org or visit the Humane Society Web site at www.hsus.org.

Preparedness Tip #6

Go through your calendar now, and put a reminder on it — every six months — to review your plan, update numbers, and check supplies to be sure nothing has expired, spoiled, or changed. Also remember to practice your tornado, fire escape or other disaster plans.

For more tips, be sure to check back with us to count down our 30 days of preparedness tips!

Day 1, Happy Preparedness Month!

It’s national preparedness month, which is a fantastic excuse for us here at the Chapter to celebrate and share our fantastic preparedness tips!  Since we have so many, we've decided to share one, or maybe two, or three… tips a day to keep you on your toes, and think about getting prepared!

Preparedness Tip #1

Take a moment to imagine that there is an emergency, like a fire in your home, and you need to leave quickly.  What are the best escape routes from your home?  Find at least two ways out of each room.  Now, write it down — you’ve got the beginning of a plan.

To learn more about what you should be thinking about when making a plan, who you should involve in this process, and the number of times you should practice your plan, click here or check it out below!

Refer to page 2 for more information about drawing out your plan.