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Together We Prepare

AMERICAN RED CROSS HELPS MILLIONS PREPARE FOR DISASTER

Program Challenges Everyone to Make Communities Safer with Five Simple Actions

Buffalo, N.Y. – Since the launch of Together We Prepare™, a nationwide program to prepare every American for a disaster or national emergency, the American Red Cross has helped millions of people gain the skills they need to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, workplaces, communities and world.

With terrorism once again making front page news, the Greater Buffalo Chapter is encouraging Greater Buffalo residents to join this grassroots effort to ensure our community is better prepared should disaster strike by doing five simple things: make a plan, build a kit, get trained, volunteer and give blood.

"With the possibility of natural disasters, terrorist attacks and everyday emergencies, being prepared can help save lives,” said Nancy Blaschak, executive director of the Greater Buffalo Chapter. “By continuing to practice the five actions of Together We Prepare™, Greater Buffalo residents will make their homes, schools, workplaces and communities even safer.”

The Greater Buffalo Chapter challenges everyone to make a plan. Preparedness and vigilance are the hallmarks of our new national reality, and planning for disaster is an essential step in preparedness. Next, the Red Cross wants everyone to build a kit. Whether you are evacuating or “sheltering in place” a disaster supplies kit can save lives.

The third element of Together We Prepare™ is training. The Greater Buffalo Chapter wants to educate and inspire people to help others. Knowing what to do when disaster strikes means getting trained—and the Greater Buffalo Chapter can help you do that.

Helping others prepare by volunteering is the fourth element of disaster preparedness. The Greater Buffalo Chapter invites people to serve as a part of the Red Cross and help prepare our community in case of emergency. The needs of the Greater Buffalo community are many, and the potential for a disaster is inescapable.

Last, we can prepare for disaster together by donating blood. Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. The Red Cross provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply (collecting more than 6 million units a year from volunteer donors) to patients in 3,000 hospitals across the country through its national network.

The Red Cross must collect blood donations each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients and individuals with blood disorders, and the organization works to accomplish this through its 36 Blood Services regions.

“The Red Cross is in nearly every community across the country,” said Blaschak, “so we are well positioned to organize preparedness activities. Every individual has the opportunity to play an important role. When we come together, we become something bigger than us all.”

More information on Together We Prepare™ including how to make a plan, build a kit, get trained, volunteer and give blood, is available by calling the Greater Buffalo Chapter at (716) 886-7500 or visiting greaterbuffalo.redcross.org or www.redcross.org.

The Greater Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross prepares for, and responds to, community disasters and emergencies and helps people lead safe and healthy lives. The American Red Cross is one of the oldest and largest volunteer driven organizations in the United States and locally depends on the contributions of 1,000 volunteers to provide its emergency service and health education programs.