Resilience is important in disasters

July is National Preparedness Month, so this is a good time to think about preparedness and about resilience. Resilience is a measure of a community's ability to recover from a disaster. Every community is vulnerable to disasters, and disasters come in different sizes and severity. Some communities are quite literally destroyed by a disaster, such as a flood or a tornado, but other communities band together and recover.

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters. Recognizing the need for long-term recovery, the Red Cross has adopted a Community Resilience Strategy aimed at helping communities recover from disasters. A resilient community will be better able to fully recover after a disaster strikes. Resilience involves preparation, infrastructure, resources and attitudes.

Red Cross officials hope that by building up their resilience, more communities will be able to fully recover from disasters.

Hurricane Season's Early Visitors

The 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season got under way last week, on June 1 to be exact, but a tropical storm waits for no man, or no calendar. Before June 1 ever rolled around, the Atlantic had already generated two tropical storms. Alberto and Beryl got into the act before their cue on the calendar. Alberto turned into a non-event, but Beryl gave residents of the Southeast a pretty good drenching from Florida to the Carolinas.

There is no cause-and-effect or predictive certainty about early-season tropical storms and the severity of hurricanes through the rest of the season, but these early arrivals should give everyone pause. Hurricane Irene caused severe damage to North Carolina coastal communities nine months ago, and many victims are still struggling to recover. Another storm on the N.C. coast would compound the misery of these struggling victims.

The Red Cross is doing two things to address this issue. Red Cross disaster relief personnel are taking a longer-term view of the people they help and will, when appropriate, become advocates for them with other agencies. Red Cross personnel are also participating in long-term recovery committees in several communities where those committees are active. Secondly, Red Cross Disaster Services is putting added emphasis on hurricane preparation in 2012. Shelter sites are being identified and contracted. Food providers are being asked to sign agreements to provide food during an emergency. And volunteers are being trained to operate the shelters that will become necessary if any substantial storm strikes the N.C. coast. Hurricane Irene prompted the largest sheltering operation in North Carolina since 1999 (Hurricane Floyd). The lesson learned is that the Red Cross must be even better prepared than it was last year, when the need for shelters far exceeded expectations.

Training for disasters before they happen

American Red Cross preparations for disasters continue even when no disaster is on the horizon. Watch this WNCT video.

Be prepared for severe weather

One year ago, the nation's largest outbreak of tornadoes in history tore through the South and Midwest, leaving behind billions of dollars in damage and hundreds of deaths. April was a harbinger of things to come as 2011 went down in history as one of the worst years in history for domestic disasters. Not only did tornadoes hit several states, including North Carolina, but wildfires raged in several states during the summer, and Hurricane Irene made its mark in August and September as one of the most destructive hurricanes in history, carrying hurricane winds and flooding into New England states.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are reminding Americans this week to be prepared for disasters. The two agencies have declared this week National Severe Weather Preparedness Week. They remind everyone to "know your risk, take action, and be a force of nature" by preparing in advance for disasters, whenever they might come.

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., wants to build a "Weather Ready Nation" by providing information that will save lives when severe weather strikes. America has already seen spring tornadoes, but they have lacked the frequency and deadliness of last year's 300 confirmed tornadoes.

"One of the lessons we can take away from the recent tornado outbreaks is that severe weather can happen anytime, anywhere," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "While we can't control where or when it might hit, we can take steps in advance to prepare and that's why we are asking people to pledge to prepare, and share with others so they will do the same."

FEMA and NOAA offer the following tips on how to handle severe weather and survive deadly storms:

• Know your risk: The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family. Check the weather forecast regularly and sign up for alerts from your local emergency management officials. Severe weather comes in many forms and your shelter plan should include all types of local hazards.
• Take action: Pledge to develop an emergency plan based on your local weather hazards and practice how and where to take shelter. Create or refresh an emergency kit for needed food, supplies and medication. Post your plan where visitors can see it. Learn what you can do to strengthen your home or business against severe weather. Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio. Download FEMA's mobile app so you can access important safety tips on what to do before and during severe weather. Understand the weather warning system and become a certified storm spotter through the National Weather Service.
• Be a force of nature: Once you have taken action, tell your family, friends, school staff and co-workers about how they can prepare. Share the resources and alert systems you discovered with your social media network. Studies show individuals need to receive messages a number of ways before acting - and you can be one of those sources. When you go to shelter during a warning, send a text, tweet or post a status update so your friends and family know. You might just save their lives, too. For more information on how you can participate, visit www.ready.gov/severeweather.

You can also find advice about preparing for disasters at www.redcross.org.

This year's unusually hot March worried disaster experts, who know the correlation between unseasonably hot weather and tornadoes and hurricanes. April has been unusually cool in the Southeast, and that might mitigate some of the hazards of that hot March, but storms can come at any time, so follow the advice from the American Red Cross, FEMA and NOAA, and be prepared this year.

A new mission statement, not a new mission

The American Red Cross has a new mission statement -- not a new mission but a new mission statement. The old mission statement, which dates from 1967 (with modifications), reads as follows:

"The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by it congressional charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies."

To the point, but a little wordy, perhaps? The new mission statement is simpler:

"The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors."

This modification was more than six months in the making and is designed to fit well with other changes in Red Cross marketing, including a new logo:

 

 You will be seeing the new "button" logo, taken from a Red Cross poster from the 1920s, more and more. The new logo aims to freshen the visual identity of the Red Cross while tying the modern Red Cross with its traditions from the past. The new, bolder visual identity will also show up on Red Cross vehicles, including its signature Emergency Response Vehicles, in coming months.

Red Cross leadership has concentrated recently on taking advantage of the Red Cross' recognition and reputation to increase public support. This new mission statement and new visual identity will play a large role in that strategy.

 

Red Cross ties N.C. coastline together

The Eastern North Carolina Region has grown.With the addition of New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick,Duplin and Columbus counties, the region incorporates the entire North Carolina coastline. This new regional concept will go into effect once a new regional executive is hired.

With hurricane response now consolidated into one region, the Red Cross will be better able to prepare for hurricanes and deploy resources all along the North Carolina coastline. A big job just got bigger.

Hurricane Irene last fall came ashore within the old regional boundaries, but other hurricanes in the past, particularly Hurricane Fran in 1996, have struck along the mouth of the Cape Fear River and moved northwestward through the Eastern North Carolina Region. With the Cape Fear Chapter, which had been under the regional supervision of the Triangle (Raleigh) Chapter, now part of the Eastern North Carolina Region, the entire coastline will be under the supervision of one regional executive.

Another Heroes Banquet

The first American Red Cross Heroes Banquet in Wilson was quite a success on March 1. About 175 people jammed the Wilson Country Club's dining room to honor Betty McCain, the former state secretary of Cultural Resources and lifelong promoter of education and the arts in the Wilson community and across the state.

Now it's on to the next Heroes Banquet for the Turnage Chapter. This one will be held March 29 at Rose Hill Conference Center and will honor Wounded Warriors, first responders, law enforcement, and the state Helo Aquatic Rescue Team (HART). Tickets are available through the Rocky Mount office (252-977-1720). The Rose Hill banquet promises to be an emotional one as the Red Cross recognizes people who risked their lives to help others. One Hero will be honored posthumously, and others will attend despite disabling wartime injuries. Some honorees are on an elite team that practices hazardous rescues in extreme conditions. Still others are bystanders who came to the rescue after life-threatening accidents.

The Rose Hill banquet will close out a month-long Heroes Campaign aimed at raising money for the American Red Cross, which is not a government agency and does not receive federal funding. Any group, business or organization can be declared a Hero for the American Red Cross by raising $1,000 or more for the Red Cross during National Red Cross Month. Call 252-977-1720 to learn ways you can be a Hero for the American Red Cross.