Be prepared for emergencies. At one time or another, we have probably all heard the words, but until I started working at the Red Cross, I never really gave it a second thought on what it means. But in the past two years of working at the Red Cross, I’ve seen the organization provide assistance to those affected by fires, floods, tornadoes, windstorms, hurricanes and more.

Last night I thought about where I would start if I was a business, school or organization researching on how to be prepared for an emergency. So, I did what any internet guru would do—I googled the phrase “be prepared.” Can you believe there were 58,800,000 results!

Talk about overwhelming. On the first page of results, there were several good resources, but it would take time and energy to sort through all the information available. No matter if you are a CEO, principal or organization leader, time is of the essence.

That’s why we’ve created the Red Cross Ready Rating Program. It’s a new, first-of-its-kind emergency readiness program designed to work with businesses, organizations and schools to make our community a safer place. We break preparedness into five manageable and important steps so your organization can become better prepared for emergencies. And, the Red Cross is here to help every step of the way. We will provide a variety of support services, such as personal guidance, access to training programs, and members-only resources, to make executing the program convenient and practical.

You might be asking, "Where do I begin?" Begin by creating a user profile and then assess how prepared your business, organization or school is with our readiness quiz. Next, commit to becoming a Member of the Red Cross Ready Rating Program to have access to tools and resources to help your organization be prepared for emergencies.

I’m nearing two years at the Red Cross and because of the information I received through work, I can proudly say I have an emergency supplies kit, have changed by smoke alarm batteries and feel I am working everyday to be more prepared. We hope to do the same for you.

Kimberly

The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter pilot tested the program in the St. Louis area for over a year before launching the program nationally. In addition to St. Louis, the Ready Rating Program is now supported by eight other Red Cross chapters in the Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC greater metropolitan areas. The Red Cross Ready Rating Program is slated to roll out in more cities at a later time.