Be Red Cross Ready: Step 1 Get a Kit

Disasters can happen anywhere and come without warning. These three steps can help you be prepared: Get a Kit, Make a Plan, and Be Informed.

Get a Kit

It is important to keep an emergency kit in your home with the essential supplies you and your family may need in case of a disaster or any other emergency. Make sure that the kit is easy to carry in case you must evacuate your home. Here are some basic supplies to start your kit:

• Water: One gallon per person, per day ( 3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Food: non-parishable ( 3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered radio
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7-day supply)
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/ lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Map(s) of the area

You may also want to add other items to your kit based on your family members' needs like specific medical supplies, baby supplies or pet supplies.

For the complete list of suggested supplies visit here.

Stay tuned for the next two steps you can take to be Red Cross Ready.  

From the Interns' Desk

By Narya Nosrati and Taylor Reed

 

Being a summer intern at the American Red Cross has lots of perks, and one of them is getting to hang out with these guys.  We've spent a lot of time cleaning and caring for our manikin friends, but after wrapping up our First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor Training we thought they needed a coffee break. Throughout the training course they, along with our wonderful instructor Fred, prepared us with the skills and materials we needed to become certified instructors. 

When we finished Instructor Training, we knew our work as interns at the Red Cross would never be the same. In addition to working in the office, we are now armed with the tools necessary to make a real impact in our community. Aside from refining our basic First Aid and CPR skills, we had the opportunity to grow as leaders. With this new found confidence, we are more determined and able than ever to carry out the mission of the American Red Cross. The information we will be teaching in our CPR/First Aid/AED classes is invaluable, and the more people we can reach out to the better our community as a whole will be able to prevent, prepare for and respond to an emergency.  This fact alone makes all of our studying and work well worth it. We hope that with each class we teach, we can give a few more Austinites the knowledge and confidence to tackle whatever situation life may throw their way. 

Signup for a class today so we can share these life-saving skills with you! Besides, who wouldn’t want to get up close and personal with these guys?

I Can Has Preparednez!

While we want you to take preparedness seriously, sometimes we all need a good laugh. Here are some joyful reminders about playing it safe from around the interwebs:

Is your CPR Training up to date? If not, you can register for a class at www.redcross.org/takeaclass.

Or...

Maybe the big question is when was the last time you looked at your First Aid Kit?

Of course I'm sure I don't need to remind you,

Disaster Prepaedness is everyone's responsibility!