Thursday, September 28, 2017

You Can’t Predict When Disasters Will Happen, But You Can Be Red Cross Ready Using Red Cross Emergency Apps

Written by: Rosalind SE Carney, volunteer


As we reach the end of National Preparedness Month (www.ready.gov), now is the time to finalize your family’s emergency response plan. This year, the theme for National Preparedness Month was “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.” Some disasters (fire, flooding) may require you to leave your home, whereas others (power outage, snow storm) may make staying at home necessary. The only commonality to these different scenarios is that advance preparation can help mitigate stress and keep your family safe. The Red Cross has developed free Mobile Apps that can be downloaded in the Apple App Store or Google Play.  Mobile Apps can also be obtained by texting the App name to 90999 (standard carrier charges apply). All Apps are also available in Spanish.

Here are some of the Apps, with brief descriptions, that will help you and your family become Red Cross Ready.

Teach Your Child Emergency Preparedness

  • Monster Guard: help your child (ages 7-11) learn how to stay safe (text “MONSTER” to 90999)
Be Ready to Provide Emergency Medical Treatment
  • First Aid: learn how to handle the most common first aid emergencies (text "GETFIRST" to 90999)
  • Pet First Aid: learn how to provide emergency care for your dog or cat (text "GETPET" to 90999)
Be Aware of Local Conditions
  • Emergency: monitor more than 35 different weather and emergency alerts (text "GETEMERGENCY" to 90999)
  • Tornado: receive weather alerts whenever the NOAA issues a tornado watch or warning throughout the US (text “GETNADO” to 90999)
  • Hurricane: monitor local conditions and let others know you are safe even if the power is out (text “GETCANE” to 90999)
  • Earthquake: receive notification when an earthquake occurs and let others know you are safe even if the power is out (text “GETQUAKE” to 90999)
  • Flood: prepare to evacuate your home in times of flooding (text “GETFLOOD” to 90999)
Learn More about Red Cross Emergency Mobile Apps

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