Cross Blog: Red Cross news and views from Oregon and beyond

I Only Drink Tap Water

2008-10-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Yay! Our ~~arch rivals~~, I mean, good friends at the Portland Water Bureau just sent us some super cool schwag: a Bull Run Water carafe, and a bunch of hip illustrated bumper stickers and window clings that say "I only drink tap water." It's a part of their campaign to bring awareness to the importance of a reliable, clean water system.

This week in particular we're reminded of how much we appreciate our water system - not just for drinking but also for fighting fires. Thanks, Water Bureau!

Are you a water lover too? If you're in my general vicinity, come and pick up a bumper sticker! I've got plenty.

"Mad Men" Holds Office Blood Drive

2008-10-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

After a very crazy two weeks, I had the chance to finally catch up on a little television this weekend. So I apologize that I'm a full week late in asking if you caught the Sept. 28 episode of Emmy award-winning Mad Men?

If you did see it, you'd know why I'm so enthusiastic -- the Sterling Cooper offices held a blood drive!

The episode jumps right in with a planning meeting for the drive. Kinsey is bragging about how creative is going to win. Don tells creative to pull all the "lackeys" and make them copywriters for the day in order to win. The prize is for a high rate of participation? "Helping another human being," of course.

When asked why the blood drive matters, Don says: “This is for mankind, Kinsey… also, there will be women fainting.” Always the ad exec, he follows with, "And put some posters up! I can’t believe I have to tell you guys that.”

At a later point in the show (and I really wish I had a screenshot), they show the blood drive poster. It's two cupped hands (think AllState) and says, "Saving lives is in your hands. Give blood." I tried as hard as I could to find a Red Cross logo, but to no avail.

Really, though, wouldn't it be cool if Sterling Cooper gave up on American Airlines and Maidenform and added the Red Cross, pro bono?

Also, in total awesomeness, did you know that you can follow Don Draper, Roger Sterling and the like on Twitter?

Walking The Talk

2008-10-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

Check out this YouTube video of FEMA administrator David Paulison showing off how he has prepared his Florida home for hurricanes.

Thanks to our friend John Solomon for nudging agency leaders to do more of this very thing - showing how they, personally, get prepared.

P.S. Can you spot the item of "prepare-aphernalia" in Paulison's pantry that matches an item of mine?

Disaster Action Team Responses

2008-10-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

On Oct. 4, a family had a fire in their house, in Fairview. The family of 3 adults, 1 child and 1 infant needed a place to sleep, food, and clothing. When the volunteers arrived they assisted the family with:

--2 nights in a nearby motel.
--A client assistance card to shop for food and clothing.
--Follow up by a nurse for possible medication needs.
--Adult comfort kits containing shampoo, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, Kleenex, razor,
and washcloth.
--Child Comfort Kits containing shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, Kleenex, comb, washcloth,
crayons and a coloring book.
--Stuffed animals to comfort the infant and child.

Get Prepared -- It's Free!

2008-10-03T14:41:00.001-07:00

It's a Wednesday afternoon. You're at work, twiddling your thumbs (or playing SuperStruct). You wish there were something more exciting going on.

Well, your wish is our command. On Wednesday, Oct. 22, we're offering a totally FREE Together We Prepare Oregon presentation.

The one-hour course will take you through the steps of preparing for disaster, what to do during and after a disaster strikes, how to make a family emergency plan and what you’ll need in a three-day disaster supplies kit.

My thought is that you could take a (really) late lunch and stop by. Or maybe you can convince your boss to let you go -- you being prepared for disaster really benefits the whole office. And if you're not working on Wednesday afternoons? Well, there's really no excuse not to show up now, is there?

Wednesday, October 22
2-3 p.m.
Oregon Trail Chapter, Washington Room
3131 N. Vancouver Ave.
RSVP to Linda Swift

Survey Finds Concerns About Economy May Increase Incidence Of Home Fires

2008-10-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

According to a recent survey, 79%of Americans are concerned about the rising cost of heating their homes, and many will use an alternative heating source to reduce their bills this winter.

This may mean space heaters, wood stoves, etc. And there's nothing wrong with these things. It's just that they really have to be used with caution. Bad wiring, careless placement, or neglect of these heat sources can easily lead to catastrophe.

If you're reading this blog, you're likely already a pretty preparedness-conscious person. But please just do a double-check in your home. Do you have a fire extinguisher in a visible, accessible place? Are your smoke alarm batteries good? How close is that candle to that flammable curtain?

Here are a few resources for preventing fire in your home.

- Tips on our website

- Fact sheets on RedCross.org/homefire

- The National Fire Protection Association's "Fire Prevention Week" page

Photo via flickr user wili_hybrid

SuperStruct Starts Monday!

2008-10-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

Playing SuperStruct at the same time as Traces Of Hope might take up all of my evenings, but I'm going to at least give it a try.

SuperStruct - as you'll remember - is an alternate reality game that encourages players to envision and predict the future. It's different from Traces Of Hope in that players create the narrative. The game's creators at the Institute For The Future (coolest name ever) intend for it to be a sort of virtual case study so that we can be more prepared for future catastrophes.

Here's a video from the creator clearly explaining how to play:

POWs Pay Back "Debt To Humanity"

2008-10-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Little to no food. Hard labor. Disease and sickness. Sights described as "man’s inhumanity to man."

These are the things that Australians Frank Cox and John Crooks experienced some 65 years ago when they were prisoners of war. Recently, they repaid what they call a “debt to humanity” by making a substantial donation to the Australian Red Cross.

Frank and John's stories are worth reading in their entirety, but I'll pull out a couple of the less stomach-churning details.

It was in Greece in April 1941 that John was taken to Corinth, a ‘transit’ prisoner-of-war camp, where he first came into contact with ICRC delegates. “They brought with them a supply of ‘goodies’, of which I scored a toothbrush, a box of matches and a ‘neck to knees’ nightshirt,” says John. “I was grateful for the first two, but I was relieved that I had disposed of my camera, so I could not be coerced into having a photograph taken of me wearing the nightshirt!”

Frank moved to Groppenstein, a former Nazi youth camp. Here he endured hard labour working in a road gang, carrying out tasks that included breaking rocks with a pick and shovel. For Frank and the other POWs, the arrival of Red Cross parcels at the camp brought “a ray of light in a sad, dark part of the world."

Explaining today why they felt they “owed a debt” to the Red Cross, Frank and John said Red Cross parcels had helped to keep them alive. “Had it not been for these people with their packages of food, I, and many others probably, would not have made it home,” says Frank.

The visits by Red Cross delegates checking on conditions in the camps were also important. “These visits really buoyed the prisoners up." Being able to keep in touch with their families during these dark times via Red Cross messages also helped. However, there was a period when they were first captured during which they had no contact with their families. “This caused our families considerable anguish, and you can imagine their relief when they received Red Cross messages advising them we were alive and well,” says Frank.

While the amount of the donation wasn't included in the story, I can tell you that the gift will be used to reunite families separated by conflict or disaster around the world. A fitting way to bring closure to their experience, don't you think?

The First Clue Has Arrived!

2008-10-03T10:40:00.001-07:00

We're off and running with Traces Of Hope, the first-of-it's-kind Red Cross alternate reality game.

This morning I got an email from "Joseph." It said:

Hello how are you? My name is Joseph, I am in Northern Uganda…I am hitching a ride with this British journalist called Alan Hackston and he has finally let me use his sat. phone. Actually he is asleep! Ha ha. I am on my way to Hopetown now... See ya J.

I was stumped. But then started doing a bit of searching for this Alan Hackston guy and found that he has a blog. It gives a bit of background info and drops a few hints about Joseph, but you have to dig even further to find Hackston's LinkedIn profile, flickr, and an abundance of other clues like this fake satellite phone website. (Yes, it's definitely fake. If you do a "who is" search, you'll see that the domain is registered to Enable Interactive, the company that created Traces Of Hope.)

Wow. This game is a lot more complex that I had anticipated.

Luckily I also found this forum where players are sharing hints and solutions. If you're playing [register here], please lend me a hand by sharing your thoughts/hints in our comments! Thanks.

Oh and here's the first video from Joseph:

[trailhead???] Who's Joseph from Alan Hackston on Vimeo

Testing First Aid Skills in Hungary

2008-10-03T10:31:00.001-07:00

Today's a bit of an international day on Cross Blog. Robin's going to bring you the latest updates from Joseph in Hopetown (have you been playing?) and I have some interesting news from other Red Cross societies around the world.

First up, a national first aid competition!

The 37th annual competition brought together 540 of the best volunteers trained in first aid skills from 19 Hungarian counties and Budapest, as well as four international Red Cross teams from Croatia, Poland, Romania and Serbia. The first aid skills of participants were tested in real life simulations and theoretical tests.

Said Nedmira Salibasic from the Croatian Red Cross team, “It was amazing how well the whole event was organized, the simulations were so real that they made us believe that it was real life. It was new for us to practise our different language skills and sometimes develop our body language to be able to act like a person in a dangerous situation.”

Organizers hoped to enter the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest number of people demonstrating the first-aid technique of applying bandages. On the final day of competition, a ‘forest’ of 540 bandaged arms stretched up in the air.

“We want this event to be registered in the Guinness Book of World Records to draw more attention to the importance of first aid in today’s world,” said David Kovacs, head of the Hungarian Red Cross youth programme. “We all know that our life is full of risks, incidents and disasters, and in this environment, first aid matters a lot."

I love the idea of a first aid competition, world record or no. Also, I bet you didn't know that World First Aid Day is the second Saturday in September...I didn't know it myself, but you better believe that next year, Robin and I will be all over organizing something to celebrate it. Feel free to share your ideas!

P.S. I can't read it, but I think the official competition page is here.

Proof That I "Saved" A Life

2008-10-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

I totally passed the drill! This is my shiny new CPR certification card (which also, apparently, doubles as an eyepatch.)

It says, "This recognizes that Robin Parker has completed the requirement for CPR - Adult."

But I think it should give me a special certification for CPR - Really Tall People because I saved Eldon - who is a good foot taller than me - and let me tell you abdominal thrusts are not easy from that angle!

By the way, if you want your very own CPR card/eyepatch you can go here.

Hurricane Is The New Black

2008-10-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ike, hurricane gear has become a fashion trend! (See Hurricanes Are Haters and Hurricane Socks.)

The latest Ike-inspired tee is simply called I Survived Ike. Designer Michael Porter - resident of the Ike-stricken city of Middletown, Texas - is donating $3 of every sale to the Red Cross.

Do you think I could legitimately wear the shirt since I survived working through the hectic days of Ike even though I wasn't in Texas?

I haven't yet figured out how to order these online, but once I do I'll let you know.

Legislation Passes; $130M Heading Our Way

2008-10-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

We received some very exciting news this morning...I'll let GMcG share it with you:

"In response to our request, Congress has passed legislation that includes a $100 million appropriation for Red Cross disaster relief and an additional $30 million for Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF). President Bush signed it into law late yesterday.

The $30 million federal appropriation for SAF will be used to help extend emergency services to members of the Armed Services and their families.

The $100 million for disaster relief is the largest appropriation that the Red Cross has ever received. It will reimburse us for relief and recovery expenditures and emergency services associated with the major disasters of 2008.

We are extremely grateful to the Congress and the President for passing this funding. I can tell you from my round of visits to Capitol Hill that members of Congress were moved by the stories of families we are helping and that the Red Cross, despite financial challenges, has continued to respond effectively.

While the money we receive from the federal government will go a long way toward helping us cover the costs of disasters this year, we cannot rely on federal dollars alone. We still need to reach our goal of raising $100 million by the end of the year."

One important thing that Gail didn't mention is that the Red Cross is not a government agency. While these federal funds fill an important need, they represent less than 5 percent of our total revenues. Most of the money we need to carry out our mission comes from the generosity of the American people, folks just like you.

Interested? You can always go right here and help.

P.S. I'm pretty sure this is the statement from the Prez...

A Yummy Bit Of Portland History

2008-10-01T09:00:00.001-07:00

If you grew up in Portland as I did, you surely remember Farrell's ice cream parlor. I celebrated many birthdays at the Weidler location and loved the old-fashioned candy store, where you could get things like Lik-M-Aid and candy buttons.

When Farrell's closed, it was a sad day for Portland. And I have to say that I'm a little jealous to read that the Santa Clarita suburb of Los Angeles still has one. But that's neither here nor there.

My real point is that THAT Farrell's is having their customers cast their votes for President and Vice-President by selecting an ice cream sundae made of a combination of the favorite flavors of each political duo.

The Obama-Biden sundae is a combination of Senator Barack Obama's mint ice cream combined with Senator Joe Biden's favorites of chocolate and vanilla. There are mounds of hot fudge, whipped cream and it's topped with two American Flags and a Farrell's pig bank complete with red lips.

The McCain-Palin sundae includes Senator John McCain's favorites of chocolate and vanilla along with Governor Palin's choice of moosetracks which is vanilla ice cream with crushed peanut butter cups with a dash of caramel and hot fudge. It will be topped with whipped cream, two American flags and two candy lipsticks.

Said Paul Kramer of Parlour Enterprises, "Senator Obama's comment about putting lipstick on a pig and Governor Palin's joke about lipstick being the difference between an pit bull and hockey mom couldn't be left alone!"

Each time a candidate's sundae is purchased, it will count as a vote for that team. The votes are being tracked on a scoreboard installed in the ice cream parlor.

With our principle of neutrality, I don't much care who's winning (it's McCain right now), but I do care that Farrell's is donating $1.00 from each sundae to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in the name of each candidate.

Man, I miss Farrell's. If you miss it as well, I'd encourage you to check out this site, which has an extensive history of the company with tons of photos. Very cool!

Disaster Team Responses

2008-10-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

At 4:00 am a family had a fire in there house in Portland. The family of 6 needed a place to stay, food to eat and some clothing. The Red Cross Volunteers assisted the family with:

--Two nights stay in a nearby motel.
--A client assistance card to shop for food and clothing.
--Comfort kits for the adults containing toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, shampoo, soap, Kleenex,
and a washcloth.
--Comfort kits for the children containing toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, soap, Kleenex, Shampoo,
washcloth, a coloring book and crayons.

There are drills for earthquakes and tsunamis. Why not for CPR?

2008-09-30T14:49:00.000-07:00

We had our first annual CPR drill today. Becky, Eldon, and Dave made surprise visits to our offices and graded us as we "saved" them.

And guess what? I passed! The only time I hesitated was when Becky asked me what to do if the unconscious victim's airway seemed blocked. I was like, "Um...fish around in his mouth?" No! The answer is to keep doing compressions. Likely whatever is in there will pop out, but in any case it's more important to keep the blood circulating than to waste time searching for stuff in somebody's throat.

After my test I followed the drillers around to get photos (Flickr set here.) My favorite moment was this quick-witted comeback from Barbara:

Driller Becky: "How many times do you administer back blows?"

Rescuer Barbara: "Once a month! Oops, no that's smoke alarms."

Meet Casey, The Medal Detector

2008-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Did you hear the story about the Olympian who lost his gold medal?

If you missed the connection, detector Casey Taylor is generously donating half her reward money ($500) to the American Red Cross. Talk about a good samaritan!

Disaster Team Responses

2008-09-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

Monday afternoon a family in Estacada had a fire in their mobile home. The four adults and 2 children had a place to go after the fire, but they did need assistance. The Red Cross volunteers assisted the family with:

--A client assistance card to shop for food and clothing.
--4 adult comfort kits containing: shampoo, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, razor,
washcloth and Kleenex.
--2 children's comfort kits containing: shampoo, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, crayons,
coloring book, and Kleenex.

Watch Out For Burritos!

2008-09-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

According to Susan Henschen over at the Live Lightly, Laugh Often blog, burritos are dangerous.

Find out why.

And if you're a big burrito fan, you might pre-emptively want to take a first aid course to protect yourself. Those things are lethal.

Photo courtesy of compujeramey

Stay Healthy, Give Blood

2008-09-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

It's hard to get me to pick up a paper copy of The Oregonian, much less leaf through all the advertising inserts to pull out Parade magazine. Fortunately, Barb D. in our office is a lot less lazy than I am...thanks to her eagle eyes, I bring you this article about 8 Ways To Stay Healthy.

Why is this important? Because author Dr. Mark Liponis' number one suggestion was to give blood. Here's what he had to say:

"About 5 million Americans require blood transfusions every year, and there is always a need for blood. Yet it’s estimated that less than 10% of eligible donors actually give. The good news is that donating blood also may make you healthier.

In a recent long-term study of more than a million Scandinavian blood donors, giving blood was found to be linked with a lower risk of cancers (liver, lung, colon, stomach, and throat) in men, with risk dropping as blood donation increased. Blood donation also may reduce the risk of heart disease in men, although it’s not yet clear why this may be true. And there’s no harm in women giving blood, either. You’ll also get a mini-checkup when you give blood, since you’ll have your blood pressure checked, and you’ll be interviewed about your health history.

What could be better than helping to save a life while improving your own health in the process?"

Now if that doesn't convince you to donate blood, I'm not sure what will. Go ahead; sign up now.

Our Friend John Interviews Grover

2008-09-29T22:02:00.001-07:00

That's right. Grover. Of Sesame Street.

For a while now, our friend John Solomon has been doing a series of video interviews called "What Should We Tell The Public?" [About preparedness.] He has interviewed the likes of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Former Congressman and Co-Chair of the “9-11 Commission” Lee Hamilton, and our very own Wendy Harman from National Headquarters.

But this has got to be his best interview yet.

Watch the video to see what Grover has to say about preparedness - and to learn his last name! (I totally didn't know what it was.)

From The Creators of the UK's Biggest Online Interactive Series...

2008-09-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

[You thought Game Week was over, didn't you? Oh no, it has just begun...]

Our friends in England have created a truly excellent ARG (alternate reality game). Scripted by the creators of KateModern - the UK's biggest online interactive drama series - the game is called Traces Of Hope, and it takes players on a search for clues across the Internet.

Here's the scenario:

You are helping a Ugandan boy named Joseph.

Vicious war in Northern Uganda has destroyed Joseph’s home and torn his family apart. He has one goal, to find out from the Red Cross if his mother is alive or dead.

Now he has arrived in the dangerous refugee camp they call Hopetown, he has 24 hours to track down the Red Cross messenger and he needs you to be his guide.

He has a satellite phone, you have the web – together you’ll make a great team. Time is running out; guide Joseph through sickness, fire and violence as together you follow his traces of hope.

I think this is too good a game to pass up. Who wants to play with me? (We can help each other find the clues. It'll be fun!) Register to play and "Joseph" will contact you to start off your mission.

WiiNintendo.net 1UPing Disasters

2008-09-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Formerly "Ike'll Get No Sympathy From Us!", WiiNintendo.net has revamped the competition and decided to take on ALL disasters. It's now called “WiiNintendo.net 1UPing Disasters.” It makes sense. I mean gamers battle cyborgs, demons, and evil alien overlords on a regular basis. They can surely handle a more than one disaster!

But seriously, it's a really cool competition, and I think the gaming community could raise a lot of support for disaster relief. Here's the official word:

But what about the Ike videos that we want people to send in? Keep sending those to DarkWish@wiinintendo.net, and we’re looking into prizes as well. We have other events planned as well, including a live stream of the game Disaster: Day of Crisis when it releases in the US.

There have been so many people that have been affected by disasters in the US, so we need the gaming community to unite for this cause and help out. With fun events and prizes to look forward to as well, there’s plenty coming. If you can’t donate, the least you can do is help spread the word.

P.S. Isn't the mushroom graphic awesome?

Check Out The Rodeo Photos!

2008-09-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

Yee-haw! You can now see all the photos from the 2008 Northwest Emergency Response Team Rodeo on our Flickr page!

What's the rodeo, pardner? It's a drill involving 200 CERT and NET responders, desgined to test lifesaving skills including; patient triage, search & rescue, extrication, fire suppression, cribbing and other functions.

This time around, the Red Cross participated by providing snacks and beverages, presenting shelter operation demonstrations, and lending our talented instructors.

Thanks to all the cowboys and cowgirls that participated!

Selling Lemonade for the Red Cross

2008-09-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

While most kids have packed away their lemonade stands for the summer, Luke Fraiser, Jacob Kassman and Emily Kassman are still going strong.

The three are residents of Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Hurricane Ike blew through Katy, causing some wind damage to buildings and destroying quite a few trees. A follow-up storm flooded most of the town.

In spite of their own situation, Emily, Jacob and Luke were more worried about friends in Galveston who lost their homes to Hurricane Ike. The trio set up a lemonade stand and collected more than $100 for Red Cross disaster assistance.

A big thank you to these caring kids, who didn't let cooler weather stand in the way of a good deed. If you're interested in making a gift to the disaster relief fund yourself, you can do it here.