Download - Red Cross and Community Preparedness
Community Preparedness
And
The American Red Cross
Objectives
Introduce ARC strategic plans for
community preparedness
Raise awareness of the problems and
benefits of preparedness programs for
the public
Increase knowledge of free community
preparedness resources from ARC
Red Cross Mission
The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates
human suffering in the face of emergencies by
mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity
of donors.
Not a federal agency but required
to exist by federal law.
Only NGO sited in the National
Response Framework
501(c)(3)
Committed to neutrality
7% of people working with Red
Cross are employees
National and international
organization
What American Red Cross Services We do
Service to the Armed Forces Blood Services
Health and Safety Services International Services
Disaster Services
“ The Red Cross prepares our communities because our mission says
we prevent and alleviate human suffering…”
“As a neutral, humanitarian, mission-driven
organization with a nationwide footprint, the
Red Cross can be the catalyst, convener,
facilitator and subject-matter expert as our
communities work together to save lives,
reduce suffering and build resilience through
preparedness.”
“Preparedness is a part of the continuum of
the disaster cycle, and the preparedness
mission will operate concurrently with the
response and recovery missions. The
preparedness mission ends when
individuals and families, organizations and
communities have take preparedness
actions, and we have a more sustainable
culture of preparedness and resilience.”
“ As stated in the Preparedness Framework,
the vision is that we, together with
community leaders, partners and other
stakeholders have built community capacity
and capability to survive, to minimize
suffering and to recover quickly…and that
together we have made it a cultural norm all
across the nation.”
Community Resilience Strategy
Community driven
Community engagement
Long term
Value added
“ Of course, not all disasters can be prevented but
their impact can be reduced. If current trends
continue, natural disasters could have a global cost of
more than $300 billion a year by 2050. Many studies
have indicated that disaster risk reduction is highly
cost-effective: a dollar invested in disaster risk
reduction can save two to ten dollars in disaster
response and recovery costs.” –The Global Alliance for
Disaster Risk Reduction
“ Our practical approach to risk reduction is founded
on the fact that while high impact, high publicity
disasters stimulate global advocacy and resource
mobilization, it is the myriad smaller-usually
unreported-disasters here, there, and everywhere that,
on aggregate affect most people worldwide.”
So preparedness is easy, right?
People agree they should do it.
And it’s not difficult to do.
Right???
Between 2011 and 2012, Red Cross
chapters enrolled 12.6 million people
in lifesaving courses and another 6.1
million people attended preparedness
presentations.
But still….
Only a small fraction
of households have a
disaster kit
42% have a disaster
plan
29% know how to get
help when evacuating
or getting to a shelter
94% believe a
disaster could
seriously disrupt their
business within the
next two years
40% of businesses
fail following a
disaster
One third of
businesses surveyed
have no continuity
plan
What motivates someone to prepare?
Responsibility for
others
A targeted message
Understanding risk &
consequences
Safety
Self-efficacy
Being a hero
Survival
What do we need to do differently to communicate
with the public about preparedness?
Segment messaging
Focus on quality of
survival
Be direct and specific
Tap into fear
Create an umbrella
message
Reinforce connectivity
Manage expectations
Here’s what we offer to help…
Home Fire Preparedness Campaign
Be Red Cross Ready www.arcbrcr.org
Get a kit
Make a plan
Be informed
There’s an app for that…
Pillowcase Project
8-11 year olds
40-60 minutes
long
How to prepare
Info on local
hazards
Coping skills
Core curriculum
Ready Rating
The first emergency readiness program of its kind
Designed to allow businesses, schools and organizations to dramatically improve their level of preparedness
Quantifies an organization’s preparedness with a proprietary assessment and action tool - 123 Assessment
Generates customized reports with confidential feedback to help members
Enables creation of a customized Emergency Response Plan through an easy, on-line, self-paced tool