Lessons in Severe Weather Planning

by Kristen Kerr, volunteer contributor

It's National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, so it's a great time to be thinking about what you should be doing to prepare for bad weather. In fact, that was the point of our big multi-state disaster drill this weekend: to prepare when the sky is blue for when it isn't.

As a native Texan (born and raised), I have been through the tornadoes, droughts, floods, severe thunderstorms, wildfires and heat waves. Over the years, I learned a thing or two about how to prepare not only myself, but also my family, for severe weather. 

During the tornadoes that ripped through Fort Worth in 2000, I was home by myself. I was about 11 years old and I was trying to stay safe (and alive). I had my dad’s weather radio turned on and since it runs on batteries, it was perfect, because if the electricity went out, it would still function. The radio kept me informed on the storm’s progress. Later, I went into our downstairs closet and made sure it was clear of anything heavy or harmful that could hurt me during the storm. I also took a blanket and flashlight with me so that I could stay warm and see (just in case we lost electricity). 

That was really all that I knew how to do at the time since I was just a child, and shortly after that, my parents bought me a cell phone in case of emergencies like that one. 

Prepare an emergency kit in case of severe weather.
Or, you can get one from RedCrossStore.org!

Since then, I began an internship with the American Red Cross, and I have learned quite a bit more in regards to staying safe during severe weather. 

In fact, there is a 3-step plan that everyone should put into action when severe weather threatens:

1. Get a kit. A kit can be as simple as a plastic tub. The kit should contain bottled water, canned foods, cereal bars, flashlights, batteries, weather radios, first aid kits, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, medicine and copies of important documents.
2. Make a plan. It is important to have a plan of action prepared because when any severe weather warning is issued it is easy to get overwhelmed, scared and confused. If you have a plan, all you need to do is follow it. You don’t need to worry about trying to think of where to go and how to get there. It’s already done!
3. Be prepared. It’s a great idea to have your kit pre-made and stored somewhere with easy accessibility. Also do a trial run if your action plan with your family, so that when you severe weather hits, you know what to do!

When I was a little girl, being alone during the tornadoes felt like a bad dream because I didn’t know what was going on outside and how bad it really was! However, in today’s ever changing technological world, it no longer has to feel that way! I was excited to learn that the American Red Cross has launched their new tornado app that includes a high-pitched siren and alerts for when a tornado warning has been issued in your area and later signals an “all clear” alert so that users know when a warning has expired or been cancelled. I know if this app would have been around during the 2000 tornadoes, I would have felt a lot safer and smarter! 

You can feel safer and smarter too. Download the new app for free at RedCross.org. Stay safe this spring season!

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Highlights From Our 2013 Multi-State Disaster Drill

by Amy Yen, Digital Communications Manager, American Red Cross
Our big multi-state disaster drill last weekend was a big success! More than 700 Red Cross volunteers in more than 40 chapters across Texas and Oklahoma participated in the exercise, designed to test volunteers on their ability to respond to a simulated tornado outbreak. It's also National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, so the readiness exercise was especially appropriate.

Volunteers were not only conducted disaster assessment of property damage, but also encountered residents who were panicked, angry or even hurt and bleeding. For example, one scenario involved a man who had cut himself severely while moving debris (see the video above). Volunteers performed first aid on the scene and called for an ambulance. Don't worry--the residents were all actors, helping with our simulation. 

Our amazing volunteer photographers from all over the two states sent in images from the drill. Check them out here:

Thanks again to all of our wonderful volunteers and staffers who helped make our drill such a big success by getting us more prepared for when a real disaster strikes!

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Ready, Set, DRILL! Red Crossers in 40 Texas & Oklahoma Chapters Get Ready for Multi-State Disaster Drill This Saturday

by Amy Yen, Digital Communications Manager, American Red Cross

Red Crossers across Texas & Oklahoma will
hit the streets in a simulated disaster drill
this weekend

They say practice makes perfect, which is why this weekend, more than 700 volunteers in more than 40 Red Cross chapters across Texas & Oklahoma will be teaming up for our first-ever multi-state disaster drill. In this exercise, volunteers will hit the streets to perform disaster assessment in a simulated devastating tornado outbreak.

In each of the participating chapters, volunteers will be deployed to pre-selected neighborhoods, where they will find a visual of a home that has been impacted. They will have to determine the type of damage and then relay that information back to Red Cross. 

In a real disaster, getting an accurate assessment of impacted homes as quickly as possible is crucial to the disaster relief process. It directs us on everything from how many meals need to be prepared to how many shovels we need to have on hand.

In the Dallas area, volunteers will report to the American Red Cross, 4800 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas Texas 75235 at 8:15a.m. on Saturday, March 2, participate in a briefing, and then hit the neighborhoods by 9:30a.m. The drill is expected to last until noon, followed by an after-action review from 12:00p.m-2:00p.m. 

In North Texas, wildfires, severe storms, tornados and other disasters are certainly common occurrences. That’s why drills like these are so important: so we can be prepared to help when we’re needed the most.

For information on becoming a trained Red Cross volunteer, go to RedCross.org/DFW. To follow the drill in real-time, follow @RedCrossDFW on Twitter and use hashtag #txokdrill

Here's a map of all of our participating chapters (click to view larger):

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