St. Louis Area Chapter Blog

Lindsey Weber- Haiti: Two Months Later

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:19:00 GMT

Today not only marks two months since the tragic earthquake in Haiti, but two months since the global Red Cross has been in Haiti working to provide immediate relief. Since January 12^th- thanks to the overwhelming generosity of those of you down the street, across the country, and around the world- the American Red Cross has been able to provide food, shelter, clean water, basic necessities, and lifesaving treatment and vaccinations to millions in Haiti.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you our Two Month Progress Report, which provides insight as to where donated dollars are being spent and how the Haitian community is receiving your aid. The Red Cross relief operation truly has been a team effort...

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Kathrine Vigil- Team Preparedness Talks Tornadoes

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:10:00 GMT

Earlier this week, several tornadoes ripped through Arkansas leaving behind a path of damaged homes and injuries. This got Unprepared Ursula thinking, and Team Preparedness is once again coming to her rescue. Here are tornado safety tips to keep you safe this spring.

How can I protect myself from a tornado?

•The safest place to be is an underground shelter, basement or safe room. If no underground shelter or safe room is available, a small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building is the safest alternative.

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Terri Violet - Tick Tock...

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:59:00 GMT

Well, it’s that time of the year! Daylight-Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. this Sunday, so, it’s time to ‘spring forward’ our clocks one hour. Not only do we spring our clocks forward, it’s time to change the batteries in our smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors as well.

The American Red Cross gives a few guidelines on both smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms:

•Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
•Teach children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.

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Elena Sabin - Tornadoes and Car Seats

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:21:00 GMT

Since the only children I have are the furry kind, I don’t think like a parent when it comes to emergency preparedness. My family’s emergency plan only accounts for two adults and our pets, so from time to time questions come my way that I just never would have thought of…

JoAnne Cronan, the Americorps member from our Metro East Service Center just asked me such a question the other day. Recently the recommendation for what to do if you are in a car during a tornado changed. For years the main option was to get into a low lying place, such as a ditch, however, last summer, after much research, the recommendation was changed some what:

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Lindsey Weber- Tuesday Trivia: And the Oscar Goes To

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:40:00 GMT

Today is Tuesday March 9^th and that means it’s time for trivia! As always, I will be posting your Red Cross-inspired trivia question this morning, giving you time to answer throughout the day, before posting the correct answer later on this afternoon. So let’s get started! Welcome to Tuesday Trivia with Lindsey!! I am your host, Lindsey, and here is your trivia question for the day…

On Sunday night, The Hurt Locker became the runaway-and surprise- success of the 82^nd annual Academy Awards taking home a total of 6 Oscars, including one for “Best Picture.” The film, a “riveting, suspenseful portrait of the courage under fire of the military’s unrecognized heroes: the technicians of a bomb squad who volunteer to challenge the odds and save lives doing one of the world’s most dangerous jobs” (SOURCE: thehurtlocker-movie.com/), also took home Oscars for “Best Original Screenplay” and “Best Director.”

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Michael Braeuninger- Haiti: What comes next…?

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:29:00 GMT

There is a natural inclination to mark significant dates and events in convenient increments of time (one month…six months… one year anniversary). In this way, we afford ourselves the distance, and the perspective to attend to other priorities. And, when you are in the business of responding to emergencies at home and abroad, the list of priorities never ends. Nearly two months after the Haiti earthquake, another one strikes in Chile. And just this morning, halfway around the world in Turkey, a 6.0 earthquake ripped through Turkey.

With this level of activity; vigilance cannot be sustained with heartfelt sentiment alone. There will always be the next “big thing” coming down the line.

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Terri Violet - St. Charles Apartment Fire

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:32:00 GMT

The City of St. Charles recently witnessed the devastation of an apartment fire that was televised throughout the St. Louis area. One woman and her pet lost their lives in this terrible disaster. More than a dozen people escaped, while firefighters rescued one man who was trapped behind a locked sliding glass door in an upstairs apartment.

With so many hearts centered on the Haiti earthquake, a little boy with his family and another family from an area Catholic School decided to direct their hearts towards a place even closer to home. They collected donations to give to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to help those suffering from the St. Charles apartment fire.

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Drenda Underwood- Feeling the Difference

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:43:00 GMT

I started last weekend feeling “that difference” that we all want to make.

Last Friday was my first time making Big 5 presentations with students at Paideia Academy on Linton in north St. Louis city. Big 5 is a fun, interactive presentation that emphasizes the benefits of healthy eating from the 5 food groups as well as getting daily exercise and 9 hours of sleep each night.

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Kathrine Vigil- Team Preparedness Talks Earthquakes

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:57:00 GMT

After recent events, many people (much like “Unprepared Ursula” in the picture) have been left wondering “what should I do during an earthquake.” And the answer is The Red Cross can help: Be Prepared. Here are some valuable earthquake safety tips from a member of the Red Cross’ “Team Preparedness.”

Much of the damage caused by earthquakes is predictable and preventable. We must all work together in our communities to apply our knowledge to enact and enforce up-to-date building codes, retrofit older unsafe buildings, and avoid building in hazardous areas, such as those prone to landslides. We must also look for and eliminate hazardous at home, where our children spend their days, and where we work. And we must learn and practice what to do if an earthquake occurs.

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Matt Gerke - Power of Platelets

webmaster@redcrossstl.org — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:32:00 GMT

Many people do not know that when they donate blood, that blood can be divided into several components that may benefit up to three people.

One of those components is platelets. Platelets are small components that help the clotting process by sticking to the lining of blood vessels. They are made in the bone marrow and survive in the circulatory system.

Platelets are used to treat a condition called thrombocytopenia, in which there is a shortage of platelets, and they are also used to treat platelet function abnormalities.

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