March is American Red Cross Month

March is American Red Cross Month, a great opportunity for citizens, families and businesses to review disaster plans and build or restock emergency kits. According to FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy, the American Red Cross not only provides help, hope and healing when disaster strikes, but also offers a wide selection of CPR/AED, first aid, disaster response and emergency preparedness training.

“The American Red Cross is FEMA’s major partner coordinating food and shelter during catastrophic disasters, but the key to any successful emergency response, regardless of the nature of the event, is personal preparedness,” said Murphy. “Red Cross classes and resources help people prepare with a few simple steps: build an emergency supply kit, make an emergency plan, and stay informed of the hazards in your area. These resources can go a long way towards empowering our communities to make a real difference when the chips are down.”

American Red Cross Serving King and Kitsap Counties in Washington State CEO Randy Hutson certainly agrees. “We know that any steps you take today to prepare will help mitigate damage when disaster occurs,” said Hutson. “We encourage people to evaluate their own personal preparedness, and this month serves as a great reminder.”

Each year the American Red Cross Serving King and Kitsap Counties brings together 2,500 people to care for their neighbors, train 100,000 people in life-saving skills and respond to a disaster about once every other day. To find your local American Red Cross chapter, visit: http://www.redcross.org.

Resolve to be Ready in 2011 is led by FEMA’s Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps and The Advertising Council. For more information on the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, visit Ready.gov and CitizenCorps.gov.

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FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.