Red Cross Recruiting Volunteers Ahead of Tornado Season

First-Ever Texas/Oklahoma Exercise to Provide Training Opportunity

Easter week last year, 17 tornadoes ripped through the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Weeks later, a deadly outbreak devastated hundreds of families across Oklahoma. As is their custom, the American Red Cross responded immediately to get help to those in need.

One of the first tasks undertaken by Red Cross volunteers is a disaster assessment. This duty is critical to the organization because it helps them determine how many families are affected, how many meals need to be prepared and how many volunteers will be needed to respond. Today, the American Red Cross is seeking to increase its pool of disaster assessment volunteers in advance of tornado season by offering a pool of upcoming training courses.

“It’s a simple process to become a Red Cross volunteer,” said Shannon Smith, Executive Director, South Plains Regional Chapter. “Just jump on our website at www.redcross.org/lubbock and click on the volunteer link. You’ll get all of the instructions on how to register and you’ll receive your next steps.”

The Red Cross is urging new volunteers to get trained in February so that they can participate in the agency’s first tornado disaster drill that will take place across the states of Texas and Oklahoma on Saturday, March 2, 2013.

“We’re tornado prone in both Texas and Oklahoma so we have to prepare ahead of these storms,” said Smith. “The time to take your training is when the sky is blue so we’re hopeful that many people will take the opportunity to join us in February for training and then work with us on this important drill in early March.”

Anyone interested in joining the American Red Cross should go to www.redcross.org/lubbock and click on the “Volunteer” link or call 806-765-8534. To prepare for spring storms, visit www.redcross.org.

Local Red Cross Volunteer Starting 2nd Sandy Deployment

An American Red Cross South Plains Regional Chapter volunteer is deploying tomorrow to New York City to assist residents affected by Superstorm Sandy.  Phoenix Lundstrom will be assigned to recovery planning and assistance where she will be working with clients to secure needs not met through personal, community, or government resources.

Phoenix is scheduled to leave tomorrow morning and will be back on February 18th.  This is her second deployment to the Northeast since the storm made landfall.

Nearly 1,000 Red Cross workers are still in the areas affected by the massive storm. The Red Cross is helping with food, emotional support and longer-term assistance.

Volunteers are working with government and community partners as part of a comprehensive response to help Sandy survivors recover.

For the next several months, a big part of the Red Cross recovery efforts will be working one-on-one with people who need some extra help.

Steps to Help Kids Avoid the Flu

Health officials are reporting widespread influenza outbreaks in 47 of 50 states, up from just a week ago. One age group hit particularly hard is children and the American Red Cross has some steps parents can teach their kids to help them avoid getting sick.

Some children have gotten so sick they have had to be hospitalized. According to the Centers for Disease Control, while some of the children hospitalized had underlying medical conditions such as asthma, more than 40 percent of hospitalized children had no other medical conditions.

Washing Hands

Kids have a way of picking up colds and other illnesses. Parents should teach children proper hand washing techniques and how to correctly cover coughs or sneezes. Washing hands properly is an important step to avoid getting the flu. Wash hands with soap and warm water. When using soap and water:

• Wash for at least 20 seconds, covering the entire hand including fingernails and under jewelry. Younger children can be taught to sing a short song like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," or the "Happy Birthday" song a few times, which will ensure they wash for at least 20 seconds.
• Rinse and dry thoroughly with a disposable towel.
• Use the towel to turn off the faucet.

If using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:

• Rub thoroughly over the entire hand, including nail areas and between the fingers.
• Continue to rub until the product dries.

The Scrub Club®

The American Red Cross and NSF International have collaborated to help parents and teachers reinforce kids' hand-washing habits. The Scrub Club® is an interactive Web site that offers free materials to raise awareness about the benefits of hand washing to fight germs and prevent illness. The website features cartoon Webisodes featuring seven soaper-heroes and comes complete with educational materials, music and games. Visit ScrubClub.org for more information.

Sneezing and Coughing

If a child has to cough or sneeze, parents should teach them to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue and wash their hands afterwards. If they don’t have a tissue, they should be taught to cough or sneeze into their elbow or upper arm, not their hands.

Kids should also be taught to avoid sharing such things as utensils, cups and bottles, and to keep their hands away from their eyes, nose and mouth.

Safety Steps

The most important thing parents can do is get children six months of age or older a flu vaccine as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Children’s caregivers should also get vaccinated. Other steps parents can take include:

• Keep surfaces like bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, kitchen counters and toys for children clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant.
• If someone in the household is sick, try to keep the sick person in a separate room from others in the household, if possible.

If the Child Becomes Ill

If a child gets sick, parents should consult their doctor. They should also make sure their child gets plenty of rest and fluids. If the child is breathing fast or having trouble breathing, has bluish or gray skin color, refuses to drink, is vomiting, is irritable or has trouble staying awake, parents should get the child medical help right away. The child should stay home from school or day care until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone.

More Flu Facts

Information on what to do if someone has the flu is available as part of the free Red Cross First Aid mobile app available for iPhone and Android devices. You can find more information about how to help keep you and your loved ones protected by visiting redcross.org/FluTips.