Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…

You see, the American Red Cross is a founding partner of the Measles Initiative – one of the most successful global health partnerships of our lifetime. We’ve been supporting mass vaccination campaigns in more than 60 impoverished countries for nearly 10 years, but recently I’ve seen awareness of the problem and support for the solution grow exponentially.

And just in time. We’re so close to our goal, but outbreaks throughout Africa and a significant funding gap are threatening to take innocent lives and erase all of our progress. It’s comforting to know that others understand the urgency and are willing to join the effort.

Take former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, for example. They recently coauthored an op-ed to remind world leaders that measles remains a persistent problem and detail what needs to be done to end the fight – for good.

The World Health Organization estimates that the combined effect of decreased financial and political commitment may result in a return to over 500,000 measles deaths a year by 2013, erasing progress achieved over the past 18 years.

Then came an exciting partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), for which all-star Candace Parker of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and well-known humanitarian Dikembe Mutombo of NBA fame donated their time and voices to a Public Service Announcement that debuted during the first round of WNBA Playoff games. Plus the WNBA, three of its teams and the American Red Cross chapters in Atlanta, Phoenix and Seattle raised the bar (and funds) to help vaccinate the equivalent of 67 villages last week.

As I write this post, last season’s champs, the Phoenix Mercury, are preparing to host another Vaccinate a Village night as they face off against the Seattle Storm in the Western Conference Finals this Sunday.

This success impressed our friends over at the ONE Campaign who blogged about the partnership and showed just how important the Measles Initiative is to the success of other world health initiatives.

(The) reduction in measles deaths accounts for approximately 23 percent of all progress to date on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 — an impressive statistic worth remembering as we look forward to the MDG Summit in September and ONE’s broader work on vaccines this fall and into next year.

To round out the week, Melinda Gates shared the winner of her foundation’s poster contest with GOOD to draw attention to the upcoming MDG Summit, which, among other things, aims to improve the health of mothers and children. Designers based in Milan and New York found their inspiration in the Measles Initiative’s success, creating a message that we hope will spread – faster than the disease itself.

Although all of this high-profile support is helping, we need people like you to maintain this momentum. As we enter our tenth year of saving lives, join the American Red Cross and its Measles Initiative partners in an effort to vaccinate children — village by village — across the globe. In less than a decade, we have immunized 700 million children against measles. But this is not enough.

450 people still die each day. You can prevent this fate.

With a $1 donation, you can help vaccinate one child. With help from your friends, classmates and coworkers, you can easily help vaccinate an entire village.

Visit MeaslesInitiative.org to learn how your community, classroom or clan can make a gift that will last a lifetime.

• The latest NOAA advisory for Hurricane Earl
• Tweets from Red Crosser Jason Golden in North Carolina
• Tweets from Red Cross Lynette Nyman in Long Island
• Tweets from FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate
• Tweets from the American Red Cross
• Tweets from #earl
• Discuss your experiences on our Facebook Page and the Global Disaster Relief page

Prepare for High Winds

• Give yourself enough time before a storm to conduct a home hazard hunt and perimeter search, in which you inspect your home for items that can move, fall, break or cause a fire.
• Make trees more wind resistant by removing diseased and damaged limbs
• Install hurricane or high-wind shutters on your windows or cut plywood to cover windows, and add protection to the outside areas of sliding glass doors
• Strengthen garage doors and un-reinforced masonry
• Move or secure lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants and anything else that can be picked up by wind and become a projectile

If a hurricane watch is issued:
The Red Cross strongly recommends that individuals and families take preventive measures to ensure their personal safety during a hurricane watch and before a warning is issued:

• Listen to media hurricane progress reports via battery-operated radio or television
• Get a battery-operated radio, flashlight and extra batteries
• Check disaster supplies kit, including food, water and clothing
• Fill vehicles with fuel
• Bring in outdoor objects such as lawn furniture, toys and garden tools, anchor objects that cannot be brought inside
• Secure buildings by covering windows with storm shutters or pre-cut plywood.
• Remove outside antennas
• Turn refrigerator and freezer to coldest setting. Open only when absolutely necessary and close quickly
• Store valuables and personal papers in a waterproof container on the highest level of your home

If a warning is issued or officials indicate evacuation is necessary:

• Before you evacuate, consider registering with the Safe and Well Web site at www.redcross.org.
• If time permits, and you live in an identified surge zone, elevate furniture or move it to a higher floor to protect it from flooding
• Secure your home by unplugging appliances and turning off electricity and the main water valve
• Bring disaster supplies kit
• Take warm protective clothing, blankets, sleeping bags and prescription medicines
• Tell someone outside of your storm area where you are going
• Lock your home and leave immediately
• Avoid flooded roads and watch for washed-out bridges
• If you see water, turn around and go another way.

If local authorities have not advised you to evacuate:

• Check tie-downs and evacuate as told by local authorities, for manufactured homes
• Stay inside, away from windows, skylights and glass doors
• Do NOT use open flames, such as candles and kerosene lamps, as a source of light
• If power is lost, turn off appliances to reduce damage from a power surge when electricity is restored

Something else to keep in mind is the value of neighbors during a difficult time. Working with neighbors can save lives. Know your neighbors’ special skills and consider how you could help neighbors who are elderly or have disabilities. Make plans for child care in case parents cannot get home – that way, all of the children in your neighborhood can be safe.

At any time, everyone can take steps to Be Red Cross Ready for all types of disasters in three simple actions: 1) get a kit, 2) make a plan and 3) be informed.

One step is to stay informed. Be sure to follow your local news, especially if you’re on the east coast.

Here’s what people are saying about Earl on Twitter:

This Hurricane:

This TV show:

This actor of stage and screen:

This tea:

This song:

This sandwich:

This baseball manager:

This basketball player:

Emergency Managers say Twitter and Facebook being used differently [In Case of Emergency ... Read Blog]
Our own Gloria Huang is quoted here discussing how different our Twitter and Facebook communities are from one another.

As Hurricane Earl approaches, @CraigatFEMA uses a little humor [In Case of Emergency ... Read Blog]
Do you find humor refreshing? Or should we keep our Boy Scout earnestness?

Want to help disaster relief efforts? Make your gift unrestricted [Bob Ottenhoff Blog]
There are already many organizations in Pakistan working diligently to help, and they’ve had to reach into their operating budgets or disaster-relief funds to provide this aid. [...] And once their work in Pakistan is over, they’ll need resources to respond to the next unanticipated emergencies, particularly in the early hours, when quick action can literally mean the difference between life and death.

It is the first day in country, but actually the second day of the deployment really.

The first day of the mission actually started last week already, the moment we were told that an American Emergency Response Unit was going to join the relief operation and that we were on the list. From that moment on, we started to get briefed and educate and prepare ourselves on the disaster, on the country and its particularities. Those days are dedicated on getting our lives ready, personal and professional, including shots, vaccinations, following updates more closely, etc…It is also comforting to know that former friends and colleagues for previous deployments are waiting for us on the ground. Although I have never been in Pakistan yet, it is not terra incognita..

Yet, last Friday was spent in Washington at Headquarters for briefings, operational, security, logistics, equipment, gear, etc. Departure from Dulles Airport Friday night at 11:00pm and got us to Islamabad Sunday morning at 3:30 in the morning.

First hours to get ourselves situated and after a few hours of sleep, security and operational briefing with Federation operational leadership. As team leader, I am sensing the importance of representing the American Red Cross and of its role and expectations within the Movement.

The learning curve might be steep already, but will likely become steeper in the next few days (meeting with Pakistan Red Crescent leadership tomorrow).

>> More information about the Pakistan National Red Crescent Society

>> You can donate to Pakistan relief via the American Red Cross

>> American Red Cross Increases Pakistan Flood Support to $5 million

>> Senior Vice President for International Affairs discusses Pakistan [YouTube]