From Panhandle to Panhandle: Volunteers deploy to Florida

Written by Kyla Campbell, staff contributor

Twenty years ago today, Hurricane Andrew, the first named storm of the season, slammed into southern Florida causing major destruction around Florida City, Miami and parts of the Louisiana coastlines. This hurricane season has already produced Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debbie, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon and Helene by Andrew's landfall anniversary but it's this ninth named storm which appears to be gunning for the exact same area as Andrew. 

While the severity of Isaac appears no where close to Andrew's strength, teams of Red Cross volunteers across the nation are prepping for landfall and the impact it may have on local residents. As of today, 16 volunteers from the North Texas Region swiftly packed their go bags, charged up electronics, packed their Red Cross wellies, threw on the red vest and headed south. Many of these volunteers were only home a few days from Oklahoma when the call came that residents in Florida could need them. 

A sincere thank you to the volunteer who leaves the comfort of their home to help others.

If you are interested in helping others here at home or around the country in times of emergencies, you may be a future Red Cross volunteer. To find out more visit redcross.org.

If you wish to help financially, a gift is always appreciated. Donor support means we are able to mobilize these highly trained volunteers to areas we expect to be hardest hit by disasters.

Whether a disasters here at home or across the country, count on the Red Cross being there!

Update as of 8/26/12: Nineteen volunteers deployed to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida while numerous others help plan here in Texas.

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West Nile Woes: Protect Yourself

Written by Kyla Campbell, staff contributor

It's true. In Texas, everything is bigger. And this year the number of West Nile Virus cases capturing headlines as our state leads the nation, is our latest 'bigger' news. 

With all the talk about West Nile Virus in the area, we thought we'd help spread the message on how you can protect yourself from a possible infection from the folks who know best, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC website is full of information, statistics, steps to help choose repellents, steps to take if you think you may have WNV and so much more. Here are the cliff notes in case you don't have time to check out the full site. 

The 4 D's can help protect you and the rest of your summer from these pesky insects and their WNV!

DEET

Apply insect repellent that contains DEET. You can also use repellents with Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

DRESS

Long sleeves and pants are best if you are going to be outside.

DRAIN

Any standing water can be a breeding ground for mosquitos so drain it! This includes flower pots, small swimming pools or wading pools and bird baths.

DUSK to DAWN

Mosquitos are most active during this time so grab a board game, watch a movie, enjoy a book. Whatever you choose to do, do it indoors!

You can also be prepared by recognizing the flu-like symptoms of an infection. These include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Body aches
• Skin rash
• Swollen lymph nodes
• While these are typical symptoms of infection, most infected people show NO signs of illness.

So you are wondering, who is most at risk?

If you are older than 50 or have a weakened immune system, then you are a higher risk.

How likely are you to get West Nile Virus?

Good news is that fewer than 1% of those bitten become severely ill, 25% infected have mild symptoms and 80% of those infected will show now symptoms at all.

If you have more concerns or want more information, please visit www.cdc.gov.

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New Hurricane App Brings American Red Cross Safety Information to Smart Phones

A new American Red Cross Hurricane App puts help right into the hands of people who live in or visit hurricane prone areas. Best of all, it’s free and available for both iPhones and Android phones.

The Red Cross app gives people real time information for hurricane threats where they are located-whether it’s the community where they live or the places they love to vacation.

The app has a number of features that let people share vital information with their Facebook friends and Twitter followers. People who need to get out of harm’s way quickly can tap the “I’m Safe” button to post a message to their social accounts, letting friends and loved ones know they are okay. These features that will help friends and families stay in touch during hurricanes, reducing much of the fear and uncertainly for loved ones and property owners far away.

The Red Cross app also gives people the ability to receive location-based NOAA weather alerts for the United States and its territories and share those on their social networks too. Even if someone doesn’t live full-time in a threatened area, users can receive alerts for vacation spots, places where they winter or where loved ones live.  It’s a feature that can give peace of mind to frequent travelers and those with elderly relatives or college students in coastal areas.

Other features include:

•         Toolkit with a flashlight, a strobe light and an audible alarm
•         Locations of open Red Cross shelters
•         Simple steps and checklists to create a family emergency plan
•         Preloaded preparedness content that gives instant access to critical action steps even without mobile connectivity.

National Red Cross experts in health, safety, and preparedness have thoroughly reviewed and field tested the information and advice provided in this app.

The Hurricane App comes on the heels of the release of highly successful Red Cross First Aid App, which has had nearly 600,000 downloads in its first six weeks. While apps can prepare you for disasters, downloading the First Aid app is not a substitute for training. 

To learn more about Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED courses or to register, visit redcross.org/takeaclass.

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A new American Red Cross Hurricane App puts help right into the hands of people who live in or visit hurricane prone areas. Best of all, it’s free and available for both iPhones and Android phones.

The Red Cross app gives people real time information for hurricane threats where they are located-whether it’s the community where they live or the places they love to vacation.

The app has a number of features that let people share vital information with their Facebook friends and Twitter followers. People who need to get out of harm’s way quickly can tap the “I’m Safe” button to post a message to their social accounts, letting friends and loved ones know they are okay. These features that will help friends and families stay in touch during hurricanes, reducing much of the fear and uncertainly for loved ones and property owners far away.

The Red Cross app also gives people the ability to receive location-based NOAA weather alerts for the United States and its territories and share those on their social networks too. Even if someone doesn’t live full-time in a threatened area, users can receive alerts for vacation spots, places where they winter or where loved ones live.  It’s a feature that can give peace of mind to frequent travelers and those with elderly relatives or college students in coastal areas.

Other features include:

•          Toolkit with a flashlight, a strobe light and an audible alarm
•          Locations of open Red Cross shelters
•         Simple steps and checklists to create a family emergency plan
•         Preloaded preparedness content that gives instant access to critical action steps even without mobile connectivity.

National Red Cross experts in health, safety, and preparedness have thoroughly reviewed and field tested the information and advice provided in this app.

The Hurricane App comes on the heels of the release of highly successful Red Cross First Aid App, which has had nearly 600,000 downloads in its first six weeks. While apps can prepare you for disasters, downloading the First Aid app is not a substitute for training. To learn more about Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED courses or to register, visit redcross.org/takeaclass.

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