Make a Plan

Plan ahead for the best possible disaster response

Talk Discuss with your family the disasters that can happen where you live. Establish responsibilities for each member of your household and plan to work together as a team. Designate alternates in case someone is absent. If a family member is in the military, also plan for how you will respond if they are deployed. Include the local military base resources that may be available.

Plan Choose 2 places to meet after a disaster: (1) Right outside your home, in case of a sudden emergency, such as a fire. (2) Outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate.

Learn Each adult in your household shold learn how and when to turn off utilites such as electrcity, water and gas. Ask your local fire department to show you how to use a fire extinguisher. Notify everyone in the household where emergency information and supplies are kept. Make copies of the information for each person to carry. Keep the information updated. Practice evacuating your home twice a year. Drive your planned evacuation route and plot alternate routes on a map in case main roads are impassable or gridlocked.

Include your pets If you must evacuate, take your animals with you. If it is not safe for you to remain, it is not safe for them.

Support your Community Support your community plans by volunteering in the community and by giving blood. More than one million people in the United States serve their communities. They come from all walks of life and backgrounds and are of all ages. Red Cross volunteers help people in emergencies. They teach first aid classes and organize blood drives. They connect members of the armed forces stationed overseas with their famlies during major family events. These vital community services are made possible by people like you. Contact your local Red Cross chapter and ask how you can help.

Give Blood Blood is needed in times of emergency, but the ongoing need is also great. Every 2 seconds someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion--cancer patients, accident victims, premature infants and the list goes on. It's important to have an adequate blood supply available at all times. Support your community blood supply by calling 704-720-7425 or view the blood drive schedule and make an appointment to donate today.

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