Utah Wildfires: How to Help

Utah wildfires: how to help

As wildfires rage across Utah, fueled by very dry weather conditions, we anticipate a busy fire season. In just seven days alone (June 22-29) we provided services to more than 1,000 Utahns forced from their homes at a moment's notice. Our services included operating four emergency shelters, and serving more than 2,400 meals and snacks.

When disaster strikes, evacuees and survivors need help immediately. Help us be there in record time, with all the resources we need to relieve their suffering!

• Give money - donate: When you donate, you help to provide all the resources we need to assist those in need quickly and effectively.
• Give time - Click here to volunteer:  When you volunteer, you help us reach out to those in need to provide the things that no amount of money can buy. Whatever your skill set, we need you!

Working together, we can make Utah the best-prepared state in the nation.

THANK YOU!

4th of July Blood Drive

Still interested in that ticket to summer fun? Good news! You can get one step closer by scheduling an appointment for our 4th of July Week Blood Drive.

In the spirit of the patriots who offered their “…lives, fortunes, and sacred honor…,” the American Red Cross is providing an opportunity on July 2, 2012 for Salt Lake City area residents to give blood at a special Fourth of July week blood drive. Blood supply inventories are at critically low levels, almost half the amount of readily available blood compared to last year. Donations are down in the first five months of 2012. The declining inventory of available blood products is most significant for types O+, O-, A- and B-.

Radio station “The Cowboy” FM104.3 (KSOP) will broadcast live from 8:00 – 10:00 AM at the Salt Lake Donor Center on July 2 during the first two hours of the blood drive which runs until 5:00 PM. All presenting donors will be eligible to enter the Ticket to Summer Fun drawing for a chance to win a $100 Ticketmaster gift certificate. Donors will also be entered in a drawing for a chance to win tickets to Thanksgiving Point or a package of fireworks.

Location

Salt Lake Donor Center

6616 South 900 East

Salt Lake City, UT, 84121

 

Visit http://tinyurl.com/7yfwcrw to make your appointment today.

Summer Fires of 2012

With the high number of uncontrollable wildfires Utah has been facing in recent weeks, the American Red Cross Utah Region has opened several evacuation centers for families in danger. The most recent information is below:

Active Red Cross Shelters and Reception Centers in Utah

as of: Thursday, June 28, 2012—12:08 a.m.

Oak City Wildfire: Red Cross reception center for evacuees open in Delta in an LDS meetinghouse located at 130 White Sage Avenue. It is no longer housed in the Palladium at Delta High School.

New Harmony Wildfire: Reception center in Cedar City currently closed, but may re-open, if needed.

Seeley Wildfire: Red Cross shelter for evacuees open in Wellington in an LDS meetinghouse located at 930 east Main Street.

Wood Hollow Fire: Red Cross Shelter in Mt. Pleasant at North Sanpete High School remains open.

*Reception centers, which typically provide snacks, water and information to evacuees, will transition into full-service Red Cross shelters if overnight stays are needed. All shelters and reception centers will remain open as long as they are needed.

The Red Cross Emblem - A Symbol of Hope for Over a Century

Seen in nearly 200 countries and at almost every tragedy in the world, the Red Cross emblem has become a symbol of neutrality and protection during war and conflict. Homelands, backgrounds and beliefs aside, when people see the red cross, a union is formed.

In 1863, the International Committee of the Red Cross was established. Today, Red Cross and Red Crescent societies operate in more than 185 countries and provide humanitarian aid to people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. However, before the ICRC was formed, it was a different story…

Imagine a battlefield where medical personnel and soldiers are undistinguishable from one another - a combat zone where injured fighters lay unattended while field hospitals and medical vehicles are under attack. That is the world that existed until one man recognized a need for change.

While travelling through Solferino, Italy in 1859, Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman, witnessed the aftermath of a bloody battle between the French and Austrian armies. Providing as much relief as he could, he watched the death and suffering of thousands of wounded men, which led him to take action.

In 1862, Dunant published a small book entitled A Memory of Solferino, which depicts three themes: The first tells of the battle itself, the second portrays the aftershock of the fighting, and the third proposes a plan. He wrote, “Would it not be possible, in time of peace and quiet, to form relief societies for the purpose of having care given to the wounded in wartime by zealous, devoted, and thoroughly qualified volunteers?” Not long after the release of his book, he met with a committee of five to determine the answer to that question was yes.

On August 22, 1864, a conference was held with several nations, military medical services and humanitarian societies in attendance. It was on this date that an international treaty known as the Geneva Convention was signed. The treaty granted neutrality and protection to medical personnel and facilities bearing an identifiable emblem – the symbol of a red cross on a white background. The symbol needed to be simple, recognizable from a distance and universal. The committee chose a design that was the reverse of the Swiss flag because of the country’s constant neutral standing and because variations in color and shape would not change the status of the cross.

 Since then, many revisions have been made to the Geneva Convention, extending protection to other individuals and entities marked with the emblem, including civilians. More than a century later, Red Cross workers rely solely on the protection of their symbol, carrying no other weapons, and trusting the emblem as their shield conveying humanity, impartiality and neutrality.

Salt Lake City Welcomes Gail McGovern, President and CEO of American Red Cross

The American Red Cross Utah Region welcomes President and CEO of American Red Cross Gail J. McGovern to Salt Lake City! She is here to announce a strengthened Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the LDS Church. Follow the link to her lovely op-ed that was published in the Deseret News on June 17.

http://tinyurl.com/bu8wcc5

World Blood Donor Day

In 2012 alone, nearly 6 million people across America may require a blood transfusion. With no substitute for human blood, those in need rely on the kindness of donors. Today, June 14, 2012 is World Blood Donor Day. To support the Red Cross mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering, we are urging everyone to take action and become a hero by donating blood.  To raise awareness about blood shortages in the U.S. the American Red Cross Blood Services is partnering with Nexcare TM Bandages. Beginning today and running through the end of June, Nexcare Brand will be giving away limited edition bandages that say "give" to demonstrate that "Giving Blood is Timeless" at Red Cross blood drives and donation centers.

The American Red Cross Utah Region would like to thank the donors who have helped save lives and encourage those who haven't to do so! Please pledge your support for blood donation, request free "give" bandages and enter for a chance to win a trip for two to New York City, visit Nexcaregive.com or text “give” to 34426.

Ticket to Summer Fun

Planning a summer vacation or
 looking for a relaxing getaway?

The American Red Cross Ticket to Summer Fun
could make life a little easier, and a lot more fun.

The American Red Cross Ticket to Summer Fun is a 15-week promotion to encourage blood donation during the summer months. The need is constant and summer is typically a difficult time to recruit blood donors.

When you present to donate blood or platelets at an American Red Cross blood drive this summer, complete and submit your Ticket to Summer Fun entry form for a chance to win a variety of prizes including airline tickets, hotel stays, concert tickets, music downloads, or movie tickets.

May 24 through June 30, 2012

 Come in to donate at a participating American Red Cross blood drive
in the Lewis and Clark Blood Services Region and
enter for your chance to win

A $500 Airline/Hotel Gift Certificate

Make your blood donation appointment today by visiting

http://www.redcrossblood.org/promotions/lewisclark/ticket-summer-fun

or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)
to find a blood drive near you.

PLUS, every completed entry form will also be entered into the drawing
for the $2,500 Dream Vacation Grand Prize
to be awarded after September 5, 2011.

*Drawing and notification of winners will take place between 3 and 10 working days after June 30, 2012.
See Official Rules for more information and odds of winning.

Moab House Fire

Utah Red Cross responded to a house fire yesterday, which reportedly displaced three people. A volunteer Disaster Action Team is providing food and clothing to victims of the fire. The family was able to find shelter with family and friends; the Red Cross remains prepared to provide further assistance, if needed, to make this family as comfortable as possible at this time.

CPR- Know it when you need it!

Teri used her training to save her grandson’s life.

“Andrew was seven years old when he tried to catch a grape in his mouth. He caught it and we all clapped, but he didn’t reply,” Teri said. “He dropped to the ground and I jumped up and rolled him over. His lips were turning blue and he had the most terrifying look on his face. I was scared, but because of my training I didn’t panic.



“I checked his air way and there was no way to reach in and grab it, so I rolled him over and gave him two sharp blows between his shoulder blades. The grape didn’t budge so I gave him some abdominal thrusts and that grape shot out like a bullet. He gasped for air, grabbed me and held on so tightly, tears ran down both our faces. Thank you for teaching me all I know because it allowed me to hear my grandson say afterward ‘Grandma I couldn't breathe. I love you grandma’. He is alive today because of the knowledge I learned in your CPR/First Aid training class. God Bless the American Red Cross.”

Teri stays prepared to protect her family; why do you?

An American Red Cross Flashback

123 years ago today, the American Red Cross responded to the Johnstown, Pa. flood, where 2,000 people were killed. This date became a significant piece of American and Red Cross history. Up until this point, the American Red Cross was primarily founded as a battlefield relief organization. When our founder, Clara Barton, and volunteers offered assistance to the Johnstown flood, the organization entered into the world of peacetime disaster relief.

Volunteers arrived providing furniture and supplies for flood survivors. Under Barton's direction, the American Red Cross distributed new and used supplies valued at $211,000, and some 25,000 people were helped. They also established "Red Cross Hotels" to house victims. Merchants and businessmen left homeless by the flood were the primary tenants of the hotel, and it was so successful that other hotels were soon built.

The exhaustive news coverage of the Johnstown flood and the relief effort helped establish the American Red Cross as the major disaster relief agency in the United States.

The Johnstown Flood Museum features a display about Barton and the Red Cross, including examples of some of the relief items she distributed, documents, photographs and more.

Hurricane Preparedness Week

Living in Utah, we are fortunate that we do not face the risk of experiencing a hurricane. However, May 27- June 2 is Hurricane Preparedness Week and we want to offer a few helpful tips for you to share to family and friends who may be at higher risks of undergoing these disasters.


WHAT YOU SHOULD DO?

• Build an emergency kit: with a gallon of water per person, per day, non-perishable food, a flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, medications, supplies for an infant if applicable, a multi-purpose tool, personal hygiene items, copies of important papers, cell phone chargers, extra cash, blankets, maps of the area and emergency contact information. Many of these items are available through the Red Cross Store.

• Talk with members of your household and create an evacuation plan.  Planning and practicing your evacuation plan minimizes confusion and fear during the event.

•  Be informed! Learn about your community’s hurricane response plan. Plan routes to local shelters, register family members with special medical needs as required and make plans for your pets to be cared for.

• Because standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding, it’s important to have protection from the floods associated with hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy rains and other conditions that impact the U.S. For more information on flood insurance, please visit the National Flood Insurance Program Web site at www.FloodSmart.gov.

Tips for a Fun and Safe Holiday Weekend!

According to Insure.com, "the holidays are a dangerous time to be on the road, and Memorial Day weekend proves to be one of the deadliest," amounting to 397 deaths caused by accidents last year.

We are wishing you all a fun and safe holiday weekend and are offering these tips to help:

• Give your full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones.
• Don’t follow another vehicle too closely.
• Use caution in work zones.
• Make frequent stops.
• Clean your vehicle’s lights and windows to help you see, especially at night.
• Turn your headlights on as dusk approaches, or during inclement weather.
• Don’t overdrive your headlights.

PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED!!

• Don’t let your vehicle’s gas tank get too low. If you have car trouble, pull as far as possible off the highway.
• Carry a Disaster Supplies Kit in your trunk.
• Pack high protein snacks, water, first aid kit, flashlight, small battery-operated radio, an emergency contact card with names and phone numbers, extra prescription medications and important documents or information you may need.
• Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• Find out what disasters may occur in the place where you are traveling, especially if they are   disasters you have never experienced before. Find out how you would get information in the event of a disaster (local radio systems, emergency alert systems).

Red Cross Continues to Help Joplin Recover from 2011 Tornado

Monday, May 21, 2012 — Today marks the one-year anniversary of a tornado that stormed through Joplin, Missouri, changing thousands of lives and devastating their town.

“I will never forget the color of the sky that evening as my family and I stood outside our Springfield home and looked to the west. It was multi-colored reds and oranges, as if the sky were burning,” said Nigel Holderby, Red Cross chief communications officer for Southern Missouri.

The devastation left in the path of that storm would make it one of the deadliest EF-5 tornadoes in history.

In response to the tornado in Joplin, the Red Cross:

• Opened two shelters that provided 3,450 overnight stays.
• Served approximately 86,000 meals and 373,000 snacks.
• Distributed 1,456 comfort kits with hygiene supplies such as deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, wash cloth, shampoo, liquid soap, lotion, comb, razor and shaving cream.
• Distributed 205,000 relief items such as tarps, ice chests, rakes and cleaning supplies through six centers and through deliveries.
• Made 5,850 health service contacts and nearly 6,800 mental health contacts.

A year later, the Red Cross continues to help people in and around Joplin recover. The Red Cross is currently focused on helping families plan their recovery and access community resources, supporting those who are rebuilding homes, and preparing the community for any future disasters.

 

 

Click here to help the relief of the city of Joplin.

https://american.redcross.org/site/SPageServer?s_subsrc=RCO_BigRedButton&pagename=ntld_main&s_src=RSG000000000

Be prepared for House Fires!

American Red Cross responded to a fire near Glenmoor Golfcourse in South Jordan Tuesday night. A Disaster Action Team was prepared to provide food, clothing and shelter to anyone who might have been displaced by the fire. Ultimately, our services were not needed. This is reportedly the the third fire this month Red Cross volunteers have responded to. With fire season rapidly approaching, hear are a few simple precautions to protect your family during a fire emergency:

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 once a year.
• Vacuum away cobwebs and dust from your smoke alarms monthly.
• 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.
• Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your home.

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.

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.

Red Cross Celebrates Armed Forces Week

For more than a century, the American Red Cross has maintained relationships with the U.S. military. What began during the Civil War continues today, with Red Cross Service to the Arms (SAF) workers present at more than 50 military installations around the world, and together working 24 hours a day, 365 days a week.

Along with that, Red Cross staff provides support at military and veterans hospitals. Red Cross volunteer teams meet wounded troops as they arrive and are there to provide information, comfort items and food for patients and their families. These volunteers visit wounded, ill or injured patients throughout their stay to deliver items such as toiletries, quilts, phone cards, books and computer games.

In light of the increased pressure on military families due to repeat deployments, the Red Cross has also developed programs to better serve families’ needs. Free courses, including Coping with Deployments and Reconnection Workshops, were designed to address the challenges that troops and their loved ones face during and after deployment.

If you’d like to support the work of the Red Cross with our nation’s military, learn how you can help by following this link.

http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=db881b655eb3b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Are you prepared for an earthquake?

A lot of people forget that here in the Salt Lake Valley we live on a fault line in earthquake territory, we could experience a 7.0 magnitude earthquake at anytime. To help our community as a whole be more prepared for such an event, we are participating in the Great Salt Lake Shakeout Earthquake drill next Tuesday April 17th.

To participate in the earthquake drill the Red Cross is opening up shelters, visit a Red Cross shelter during the drill to teach your family all about emergencies and preparedness.

It's a great opportunity to show your kids what it would be like if

disaster struck and you had to evacuate your home with only the clothes on your back. Teach your kids the importance of being prepared and to be aware of possible disasters.

Click here to register

Stay in a Red Cross Shelter During the Shakeout

The Great Salt Lake Shakeout is an Earthquake Drill for the Wasatch Front that close to 1 million people state wide are participating in.

The Red Cross is participating and testing their ability to shelter and feed large numbers of people.

Help the Red Cross Practice, and teach your family preparedness skills.

Stay in a Red Cross Shelter! Bring only your 72 hour kit, or if you don't have one just the clothes on your back. Experience what it would be like to stay in a shelter, and teach your kids about emergencies and preparedness.

The Red Cross needs people to stay in their shelters anytime between April 17th-19th, stay as long or as little as you'd like.

Sign up at the link below!

2012 Shakeout Exercise

St. George Heroes

Thanks to everyone who has joined us for our Heroes Events this year, we have three down and one to go! If you haven't been to a Heroes event yet it's not too late!

Our last Heroes Event of the year is our St. George Heroes Event, which will be next thursday March 29th at 12:00PM at the Abby Inn in St. George.

Click here for ticket information

Here is a little about our St. George Lifetime Hero Award recipient.

Quentin Murdock is a World War II decorated veteran who served with courage and honor, earning a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, three Presidential Unit Citations, European Theater with Five campaigns medal, Combat Infantry Badge, the D-Day Medal, and the Victory Medal. He was involved in some of the fiercest battles of World War II (including being in the early waves of soldiers to go ashore on Omaha Beach). He underwent many trials in the service of our country during his 700 days of active duty, including being under enemy fire repeatedly and contracting malaria. After the war he became a farmer and is one of the pioneers of the above-ground sprinkler system. He also devised an innovative way to use potato waste products to feed cattle. For his impressive contributions in the areas of both military service and agricultural innovation, he will receive the 2012 Lifetime Hero Award.

2012 Ogden Heroes Event

This Wednesday is the 3rd of 4 Heroes events we are having this year.

The Northern Utah Chapter (Ogden) Heroes Event will take place at 8:00 AM on Wednesday March 21st at the Ogden Union Station.

For tickets to the event click here!

Here is a little about Weber County Search and Rescue who are going to be honored at the event with the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Weber County Search and rescue is a volunteer extension of the Weber County Sherif'f''s Department made up of dedicated men and women that volunteer their time, training and abilities to provide search and rescue services for Weber County and the surrounding areas. Weber County Search and Rescue volunteers spend thousands of hours, annually preparing and training and for emergencies.

The organization consists of seven specialized teams: Mountain Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, Winter Rescue, Under Water Recovery, Canine Search, Mounted Posse, Off-highway Vehicles, Preventative Search and Rescue. In addition, there is an ATV team, a horse team, a white water team, and an airboat team.

Weber County is fortunate to have more than 100 volunteers, specializing in different degrees of qualifications. These volunteers invest a lots of time and energy into being a party of the team. They go out on an average of 20-40 rescue missions per year. Seach and Rescue volunteeres are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

These professionals are dedicated to saving lives, while putting themselves at risk every day for citizens of Weber County. The community is lucky to have such brave and committed individuals who give of themselves to help others in need.

Provo Heroes

Tomorrow is our Mountain Valley Chapter (Provo) Heroes Event!!

Kim Olsen is our LIfetime Achievement Award Winner and she will be honored at the event tomorrow.

Here is a little about Kim and what she does to make a difference in the lives of families in the armed forces.

"I am dedicated to supporting the families of our fallen servicemen, and women," says Kim Olsen, recipient of the 2012 American Red Cross Lifetime Achievement Award.

After her son was killed in Afghanistan in 2012, Kim's life-focus shifted, and she set up a scholarship at Mountain View High School in his name. Wanting to do even more, she founded the gold Star Stars project which has created and distributed hundreds of personalized gold stars memorializing military members who have lost their lives.

In addition she has personally sent messages of consolation and comfort to hundreds of grieving families across the United States as part of the Solider's Angels project. She also sends care packages to Afghan interpreters who risk their lives daily to assist our military forces in Afghanistan.

Kim volunteers with the American Red Cross in the area of Service to the Armed Forces, connecting families through emergency messaging and educating military families about resources available to them.

Before she became involved in supporting military families, she dedicated years of service in other areas, such as founding her own hospice company and using her creativity to help low-income families afford funerals for loved ones.

Her lifetime of compassionate service is truly inspiring.