Be Ready for Anything

By Lafe Low, Red Cross writer

As someone who has experienced a life shattering emergency, Debra Jay appreciates how important it is to be as prepared as possible for the unthinkable. 

“I have been through a tornado hitting my house. When that happens, when the crisis hits, the panic hits and you’re not thinking clearly,” she says. “You feel very alone within your own home. If everybody in my neighborhood had been prepared, it would have made a world of difference in how we operated after the emergency. It’s a scary thing to feel so vulnerable.” 

Debra Jay, disaster survivor

That traumatic experience inspired Debra to attend a recent “Be Red Cross Ready” event last month at the Rockport Opera House in Rockport, Maine. There local residents gathered to learn about disaster resiliency and emergency preparedness. Attendees received a basic primer on performing hands-only CPR, how to prepare a “go kit” to grab in the event of an evacuation, and other basic disaster resiliency and preparedness considerations.

“It’s something we don’t think about. We don’t imagine this could happen,” says Debra. “What’s going to stick with me is having those kits; having that preparedness in my house. Having a grab bag if I have to leave my house, and knowing what needs to be in there [is helpful].  It’s also helpful to know I can go on the [Red Cross] web site to get that information to get things together.” 

Take Steps to Prepare

Being prepared ahead of time is one of the strongest steps anyone can take to ensure their safety and reduce the impact of an emergency; whether that emergency is a destructive storm, a house fire, or a health emergency. Emergencies and disasters often happen without any warning. 

Local residents attending this “Be Red Cross Ready” event learned about preparing a “go kit” for emergencies and what to include in those kits. These kits should include items like any required medication, warm clothing, water bottles, device chargers, and power sources like batteries or solar-powered devices. Having quick and easy access to these items can make all the difference in the event of an emergency. 

Be the Help Until Help Arrives

John Montes, Red Cross

Attendees also learned the basics of hands-only CPR, or compression-only CPR. This skill helps a bystander deliver lifesaving care until professional responders arrive. 

“Everyone should have some level of CPR training. The more people who have it, the more effective it is,” says Benjamin Koenig, who participated in the event. 

“The hands-only CPR is really important,” Debra adds. “I was just thinking the other day that I don’t know what to do if I encounter someone who needs CPR. That is a potential lifesaver.”  

This recent “Be Red Cross Ready” event was run by the American Red Cross in partnership with CamdenCAN, a neighborhood pod initiative organized to strengthen community and neighborhood ties. Speakers included Sophie Piconi, Red Cross Executive Director; Eric Lynes, Red Cross Community Disaster Manager; Marie Lypscomb, Red Cross Community Disaster Manager; and John Montes, Red Cross Regional Disaster Officer.

Eric Lynes, who leads disaster response operations for the Red Cross in Central and Mid-Coast Maine, explains that community preparedness can save lives. 

“It’s all about being ready and being prepared. The reality is disaster does strike without warning, so it’s important that we are ready and informed,” he says. “The information provided today; they can take that and begin their journey to being prepared.” 

Eric Lynes, Red Cross

“Going over plans with people in my household and our neighbors to try and prepare in the event of an emergency—that sort of preparation is going to help a lot if something happens. People don’t talk about the risks of emergencies beforehand. It helps to do that; to have that thought process,” Benjamin says.

Having this valuable information presented in such a cohesive format helps ensure the message gets across. 

“It was very coordinated and very organized,” says attendee Anita Brosius-Scott. “They told us a lot of information which is very helpful for our community and our neighborhood pod to start thinking in terms of preparedness.” 

“The Red Cross has been that trusted source of emergency information for [something like] 140 years,” says Eric. “It’s our business. It’s our life. It’s what we do. We care about the communities we live in, and we want to make sure people have the information they need to stay safe. It’s that simple.”

Sophie Piconi, Red Cross Central and Mid Coast Maine executive director, says she appreciates how groups like CamdenCAN help make communities more resilient. 

“The fact the communities of Camden and Rockport are coming together to work at a hyper-local level on preparedness is fabulous,” she says. “They’re working, informing, collaborating, getting to know how to make the community a safer place if and when something happens.” 

That local community approach is in sync with the overall Red Cross approach, according to Sophie. 

Sophie Piconi, Red Cross

“It doesn’t get any better than working with this kind of partnership. The CamdenCAN program is working at a hyper-local level by dividing communities into pods. It might be a neighborhood group of three or four blocks. It’s neighbors getting to know neighbors so when something happens, those neighborhoods are prepared. The whole community comes together and they support each other during a difficult time. It really is hyper-local activism as far as supporting each other in terms of resiliency and preparedness,” she says. “That’s exactly what the Red Cross wants in our community mobilization because they know what they need and how to best serve each other.”

To learn more about how to prepare your family for an emergency, visit: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html?srsltid=AfmBOoo4rIOp0NtwhZ4ASiWn3sDedrn7SqVZ0vBw3PVCI97Gcef85Feh.

To learn more about Red Cross Hands-Only CPR training, click here: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/hands-only-cpr.html?srsltid=AfmBOop2WbGFzrR1_TkN3q1jImqA3Vu3qi2_1QasG48HMa3pBnx31ZOm.