Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up

Welcome to the Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It's a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work...


LIBYA: The ICRC has begun distribution of medical and surgical kits to hospitals in the capital city of Tripoli. The ICRC has had a permanent presence in Tripoli since mid-April of this year.

NORTH KOREA: An emergency appeal has been launched by IFRC to provide supplies of food and non-food relief, shelter materials, clean water and health care to 30,000 people who have been badly affected by storms and floods. The American Red Cross will contribute $50,000 for the international response in North Korea.

SOMALIA: With the opening of the four new feeding programs, Somali Red Crescent feeding centers now cover the whole country, including all areas most affected by malnutrition. Somalia has been in the grip of a severe drought since October 2010.

IRAQ: The ICRC released a film today that highlights the difficulties of Iraqi women who shoulder the burden of caring for their families alone. An estimated one million women struggle to feed their families and continue to depend on outside help.

USA: Hurricane Irene is the first major hurricane of 2011 threatening the East Coast and the American Red Cross is preparing for a full disaster response. The Red Cross urges people to get a three-day supply of water, food that doesn’t require refrigeration, flashlights, a battery-operated radio and a first aid kit. Irene could affect blood collections along the East Coast and The Red Cross is urging those who are eligible to give blood prior to the storm’s arrival.


GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Earthquake Tips: Don't Run Out of the Building

Evacuation is a really interesting concept in earthquakes. Growing up in Southern California we always learned to DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. (FEMA)

Being in an actual earthquake is very different. One earthquake that happened in the middle of the night woke up my entire family who proceeded jump out of bed (no-no), run down the stairs (no-no), and wait under giant tress and powerlines for the earthquake to end (NO-NO-NO).

One key message to take home: Do Not Run Out of the Building in an Earthquake

FEMA SAYS: "Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave."

Yesterday during the 5.9 earthquake that rocked the East Coast, people streamed out of their homes and jobs. It's the biggest earthquake since 1897 on the East Coast and it's scary: (1) You're probably in a tall building, (2) You've never been in an earthquake, and (3) Memories of September 11 popped up faster than New Yorkers thought.

On CNN Health, Nadine Kaslow, professor of psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine said that "People who lived through the attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York and Washington most likely have a low level of fear and anxiety that generally stays in the back of their psychological experience, but can be triggered." (CNN)

It's difficult to apply emergency preparedness skills DURING an emergency, so I suggest you read up on what to do if an earthquake strikes, practice with your loved ones, get ready for anything.

How Americans use Social Tools in Disasters: Infographic

According to two new surveys conducted by the American Red Cross, Americans are relying more and more on social media, mobile technology and online news outlets to learn about ongoing disasters, seek help and share information about their well-being after emergencies. We saw this yesterday in response to the East Coast Quake (including a 'laughter'-shock) and companies are realizing they can take simple steps to help save lives, such as Apple announcing it is going to add earthquake notifications to their next iPhone/iPad operating system in Japan. Below is an infographic with some key findings of the survey-


You can read the complete study results, including methodology, here!

David Douglas High School Football Team "Spreads the Red"

“Football is not just about Xs and Os and wins and losses – it’s character development.” -- David Douglas Assistant Coach Jeff Centroni

Without high school drives in the summer, the Red Cross likes to remind young blood donors just how important their donations are. After encouragement from Coordinator Monica Rush, David Douglas High School in Portland recently decided to bring in their entire football team (plus coaches, honor society members and more) to donate blood for the Red For Life program!

Thirty-six students presented to donate, with 35 of them first-time donors, as well as donations from the coaches and other students in attendance. With a 100% show rate and the push for younger donors in the summer, Monica Rush and the Red Cross are excited to see this idea grow in the future.

“As part of the Red For Life program, I put the challenge out to every school I attend to get their sports teams to come donate as a group during the summer when blood donations are low,” Rush said. “David Douglas is the first high school to ever respond to the challenge.”

The school was honored with a plaque announcing their campaign, promotion throughout the donor center, a pizza party and T-shirts, county fair passes, Girl Scout cookies and Civil War Blood Drive swag.

“This event makes students understand that the need is there all the time. My hope is they become regular donors,”Assistant Coach Jeff Centroni said.

Beyond donating and their pizza party, the group was divided into two donation shifts, which allowed all the participants to learn about the donation process by partaking in donor center tours.

“Everyone who is able to help should take advantage of that,” said Alipate Tuitauke, first-time blood donor and football player (pictured above). “My first donation went really fast and it is a good experience for anyone who can give blood.”

Monica Rush is excited for what the future holds. “I want to make this event huge. My goal is to get other schools to take on the challenge and compete with David Douglas next summer.”

Winter Is Coming...

Okay, I will admit that Game of Thrones has sucked me in. Yet apparently NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and House Stark share the same warning, 'Winter Is Coming'.

This week NOAA issued a La Niña watch for the next 6 months throughout the Northern Hemisphere. La Niña is when cooler than normal conditions above the water push the warmer surface water towards the equator. When Fall and Winter come, deeper cooler water is able to surface leading to colder than normal conditions. A La Niña watch predicts that a La Niña event may occur in the next 6 months based upon favorable conditions.

What this means for the Northwest is that we will likely receive a cooler and windier fall and winter, similar to what we saw this past year. In the recent past, La Niña has been the culprit for conditions that led to the flooding in Vernonia and severe winter storms in the Willamette valley. However, local weather forecasters are only predicting if we have an event it will likely be mild to neutral in strength.

It's worth note that we are already seeing significant impacts from cooler water. We are currently in the midst of Hurricane season (June 1st to November 30th), and the Red Cross is preparing for Hurricane Irene on the Atlantic coast. Hurricanes are strengthened by warm surface water, and for the first time since records started in 1851 the first eight named tropical storms of the season did not attain hurricane strength. We are near the end of August and are just seeing our first Atlantic hurricane. For comparison, around this time in 2005 Hurricane Katrina was forming as the fifth hurricane of the season (after a different Hurricane Irene).

This all serves as a good reminder to prepare for the winter. You can visit our website for suggestions on how to prepare for winter storms. Additionally, when there is potential for winter storms regular blood donations are incredibly important to maintain supply for when blood drives might be cancelled, as we saw on the East coast earlier this year.

PHOTO: Game of Thrones/HBO

My Last Post

It's my last day here at the Red Cross, and I feel like I should have something profound to say, but I don't.

It's been five eventful years. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, you name it. I feel privileged to have been able to help the Red Cross respond to those events. And also to help people like you, dear blog reader, get prepared for such disasters.

Five years is a good chunk of time, but it's eons in Internet Years. Back when I posted "A Brief Introduction," Myspace was still a big deal, Twitter was in its infancy, and your mom was not yet on Facebook. My how times have changed.

But before I get too wistful, I'm going to recap some of my favorite little silly moments from way back in the blog archives. (When you're doing serious work, it's important to balance it out with some silliness.)

• The David Hasselhoff aquatics training VHS. Sometimes the little things just make your day.
• The job-hunting chicken. Don't know what ever happened to that little guy. He was running around the neighborhood for weeks!
• Making my coworkers cram into a doorway for the "What Not To Do" in an earthquake or other disaster slideshow. (Part of the epic and unforgettable Blog Off.)
• "Blood. It's Not Funnnnnnyyyyyy!!!!!!" This made all of us in the office laugh so hard we cried. Good times.

There have been SO many more silly, amazing, sad, and wonderful moments. Too many to mention.

Most of all I feel lucky to have worked with such warm-hearted, talented people. Lise, Nate, and dozens of equally awesome non-blogging coworkers.

And now I'll sign off and bestow the title of Blog Master upon the very worthy Nate Warren.

All I have left to say to you all is THANK YOU. It's been great.

6 Days Left to Submit Your Threadless Design!

Are you a design guru? If you've been watching our blog, you know that Threadless is hosting an amazing t-shirt design challenge on behalf of the Red Cross!

If you were planning to submit a design but find yourself stressing on the deadline, great news!

The contest submission date has been extended until August 25, so you still have 6 days to get your art in gear!

Now, I know we're not supposed to play favorites, but when we found out that Kristen, our very own volunteer, put a design out for the contest, we had to do a little push for her! Check out the design above and vote for her shirt at this link.

Just can't wait to have a Red Cross-inspired shirt? Check out some other fun designs from Glennz Tees like this and this or you can promote "outerworldly preparedness" with our fun Oregon Red Cross shirt. Thanks for the links Kate!

Remember, if your Threadless submission is selected, your shirt sales help benefit the Red Cross and YOU will receive:

1. $1750 cash
2. $250 Threadless gift certificate
3. Two tickets to the celebrity-attended Red Tie Affair in Santa Monica, CA on April 21, 2012
4. $500 towards airfare to attend The Red Tie Affair
5. A 2-night stay at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica

For full terms and conditions, click here.

An Etsy Round-Up

Say you want to show off your support for the Red Cross mission, but you're not into the branded t-shirt kind of thing. Your personal style is more vintage/handmade.

Well, you're in luck, because there are other crafty Red Cross-y people out there like you, and guess what? They're on Etsy.

One of our young volunteers, Clare, recently pointed us in the direction of these fantastic finds...


Baby Beanie: How cute is this? I know a certain former Red Crosser (but really, once a Red Crosser, always a Red Crosser) who is having a baby soon. Did someone say "perfect present?"


Pendant Necklace: "Nurses bring hope." Very true.




Vintage Charm Bracelet: OMG tiny versions of vintage nurse posters! YESSSS!



French Apothecary Pillow Cover: Ooh la la. This looks like something you'd see in Athropolgie. What a chic way to show you're a Croix Rouge supporter.


Victorian-era Red Cross Dog Illustration: Adorable, antique-y, and one-of-a-kind. You can't beat that.

Red Cross Multi...Throwing Star

Here's a shirt design from Glennz Tees.
You might be asking, "Where do you keep one of these?"
The answer: "Out of reach of small children."

In case of Emergency: Break Barriers to Preparation (Not the Bank)

Should you quit smoking?
Yes.

Should you eat less daily ice cream? Probably.

Should you be prepared for an emergency?
Absolutely.

But are you?


As a Health Communication Professional, I am interested in the reasons why people who know they should change a behavior (quit smoking, reduce ice cream intake), do not. In other words, what are their barriers to behavior change. What stops them?

As I begin blogging at the Red Cross, I am becoming pretty critical of my own level of emergency preparedness. I'm very aware that I should prepare an Emergency Kit for my home, but I haven't. WHY?!

I needed to learn more about my own barriers to preparation in order to overcome them and get ready for an emergency. Upon personal reflection I found that the prep. barriers in my own life include: Perceived Cost of a Kit, and Fear of an Emergency.

Perceived Cost
Before I read the Be Red Cross Ready list of things I need for my kit, I wasn't aware that you could make so much of your own kit at the 99¢ Store! It turns out that most basic ingredients for a kit can be pretty inexpensive. Also, it occurred to me that having at least some of these things was better than having none at all. Plus, you can build your kit over time: when you happen to be at the grocery store grab a first aid kit, grab (and wash) a Goodwill blanket when you get a chance.

Fear of an Emergency
I'm scared, though convinced, that an emergency will occur. Frankly, creating a kit makes me admit that something could happen to me and my loved ones. I know that's a fear I have to overcome. So, rather than treating Emergency Preparation as an omen, I've decided to think of it as a Scavenger Hunt, or a great date idea. Collecting cans of your favorite food, goofy playing cards, and other prepare-aphernalia can be a charming experience. Take your kids, your friends, your beau!

It felt good to figure out why I wasn't prepared.

What is preventing you from creating an Emergency Preparation Kit? Think about it, maybe we can come up with some solutions together!

Kate

Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up

Welcome to the Worldwide Wednesday Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It's a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work...

MALAWI: 120,000 long lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets are being distributed by the Malawi Red Cross with support from the IFRC.

ETHIOPIA: The Ethiopian Red Cross is providing camels for a number of families who have lost their livelihoods in Ethiopia.

KENYA: The Kenya Red Cross's 'Kenyans for Kenya' has raised approximately $5 million to deliver immediate food, water, and health assistance to those suffering from the current drought.

COTE D'IVOIRE: The Red Cross of Côte d’Ivoire, with support from the IFRC has rolled out the first phase of its emergency assistance for almost 1,000 families from 17 communities in the Toulépleu Prefecture affected by the crisis that followed the controversial results of the 2010 presidential elections in the country.

USA: Paul Olson, 79, makes his 400th donation of blood at the American Red Cross Headquarters for the Penn-Jersey region.


GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Car Accident Spurs Family Commitment to Donate Blood

Kelsey Harris: star athlete; good friend; attentive student; teenage driver. She was on her way to school one day in Milwaukie, Oregon when she got into a serious car accident. As a result of her injuries, Kelsey needed type O negative blood, the “universal” blood type.

Kelsey thankfully made a full recovery with only a few scars to show for it. Before her accident, she hated needles and would never voluntarily go near them. However, after the crash led to receiving blood transfusions, she was able to overcome her fear.

Kelsey is excited to donate as frequently as possible. Her traumatic experience has translated into inspiration and her entire family now donates. Furthermore, Kelsey’s father is a physician and all of her family members (except her mother) are type O negative donors! The family has come in to give blood together at events like the annual KGON blood drive (shown in photo). They are grateful for the donors that helped Kelsey make a recovery and want to give back.

Kenzie, Kelsey’s sister, was even awarded the 2011 Academic Award of the Year at La Salle High School for her persuasive speech about the importance of donating blood. Kenzie said that had her sister been in a more serious car accident that day, she would have lost far more blood. “Without the help from those donors,” Kenzie said, “Kelsey Harris, my sister, might not be alive today.”