Plainfield: Union County has been placed on a tropical storm watch, along with surrounding areas which could be affected by Hurricane Earl. This alert level could increase as the storm progresses. Please stay tuned to local radio and television broadcasts for the latest news. Powerful rip currents all along the East Coast will occur today through the weekend. The Tri-County Red Cross advises anyone visiting beaches  to swim only on lifeguard protected beaches and within designated swimming areas.

The Red Cross also recommends three quick steps to take now to be prepared for emergencies like hurricanes - build a kit, make a plan and be informed. People in the path of Hurricane Earl should follow the instructions of local authorities regarding any possible evacuations. Union County residents can sign up for storm and other alerts on your cell phones, pagers, e-mail systems and other devices at www.ucfirstalert.org.

All Red Cross, CERT and MRC volunteers are requested to check in with their supervisors to see if they need to be on stand-by.

Other Links:

American Red Cross - Hurricane Safety Checklist

Center for Disease Control - Emergency Preparedness and Response - Hurricanes

National Weather Service - National Hurricane Center 

The Red Cross, in coordination with government partners, opened four shelters Monday morning on St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John.

•  A leadership team of seven disaster workers specializing in logistics, feeding, sheltering and response technology arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands this weekend to support the local chapter with preparations for the hurricane.

• Red Cross warehouses on the islands are equipped with thousands of cots and blankets, plus kerosene lanterns, comfort kits and cleanup supplies, all ready to be distributed to people in the path of the hurricane.

• The Puerto Rico Red Cross chapter is also supporting stranded travelers while the airport there is closed.

Hurricane Earl could affect the Atlantic Coast later this week, and the Red Cross is getting ready.

• Hurricane Earl is expected be a very wide storm and while the eye may not make landfall on the east coast some inland areas could experience flooding and high winds.

• Up and down the East Coast, we have trained disaster relief workers, mobile feeding vehicles and trucks equipped with communications technology on alert.

• This is predicted to be a fast moving storm so residents along the East Coast should be vigilant. Now is a good time to finalize hurricane plans and update emergency supplies kits.

The Red Cross recommends three quick steps to take now to be prepared for emergencies like hurricanes - build a kit, make a plan and be informed.

Hurricane Earl is likely to cause powerful rip currents all along the East Coast. The Red Cross advises anyone visiting beaches to swim only on lifeguard protected beaches and within designated swimming areas.

• If caught in a rip current, remember to remain calm and avoid fighting against the current. Instead, swim out of the current in a direction following the shoreline.

• If unable to swim out of the current, float or calmly tread water. If possible, yell for help and draw attention to yourself.

Click here for more preparedness and safety tips.

Red Cross work starts before a hurricane makes landfall. In fact, we keep a variety of supplies and equipment on stand by year round to be ready to help people in need.

In an average year, the Red Cross spends about $450 million on disaster relief throughout the U.S. This includes the costs for shelters, feeding efforts, supplies for disaster victims and health and mental health efforts.

This amount also includes the costs to be ready to respond to any disaster by maintaining those things that help the Red Cross to get assistance to people in need.

For example, we have 26 warehouses stocked with disaster relief supplies, more than 90,000 trained workers, and more than 320 mobile response vehicles ready to respond year round. If we didn't maintain these resources 24/7, we couldn't get help to people in a timely fashion.

Please click here to donate to the Red Cross to help people affected by disasters. Every single donation brings hope to those in need.

TURN YOURSELF IN!

You don't have to be a Mayor to get arrested at the Red Cross Mayors Jail & Bail -- anyone can be a "Jail Bird"! All you have to do is sign up and turn yourself in at the Fanwood Court on October 2, 2010 to be "arraigned." A celebrity judge will set "bail" at an agreed upon amount, and you then make some calls

to raise the bail in donations to the Red Cross.  You can sign up to be a Jail Bird using our personal fundraising web tools here.

HELP US RAISE BAIL

Jail Birds from all 22 towns served by the Tri-County Red Cross are being arraigned on October 2, 2010 at the Fanwood Court. You can

help them avoid jail  by donating towards their bail. All of the money raised for bail will go to support disaster prevention and relief in Union, Somerset and Middlesex Counties. Call us at (908) 756-6414 or visit a Jail Bird to bail them out of Jail!

·       Since July 21, heavy monsoon rains have caused widespread damage, triggering flash floods, killing thousands of people and affecting at least 17 million other people.

·       As much as 70 percent of the country has been affected by flooding, with widespread loss of crops, livestock, roads and bridges.

·       For the people displaced, the most urgent needs include food, clean water and medical care.

·       This is the worst flooding in Pakistan in the country's history, according to the government.

Red Crescent volunteers are working around the clock to care for Pakistanis affected by the floods.

·       The Pakistan Red Crescent immediately sprang into action and mobilized its countrywide network of more than 130,000 volunteers.

·       Since the flooding began, local Red Crescent volunteers have assisted more than 325,000 people with food, relief supplies and another 48,000 with medical aid.

·      Over the next 18 months the global Red Cross movement expects to provide aid for more than 900,000 individuals.

The American Red Cross has committed $5 million (as of 8/25/2010) in financial support and supplies to help thousands of families affected by the flooding.

·       We have sent tarps, sleeping mats, buckets, and water containers from our warehouse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to benefit approximately 50,000 people. We have also dispatched two disaster experts to help coordinate our efforts on the ground. 

·       As heavy rainfall has continued and floodwaters have moved downstream, flooding is worsening in the central and southern provinces and is threatening dams and embankments.

·       To help those affected by the flooding, please make a donation to the American Red Cross online at redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Family members who have been separated as a result of the flooding are being reunited by Red Cross tracing services.

·       Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster so if a friend or loved one is in Pakistan, please be patient and continue to call or contact other family members who may live nearby.

·       The Pakistan Red Crescent volunteers are using donated satellite telephones in areas where communication networks are non-existent or remain out of order, connecting missing loved ones within the country.

·       If you're trying to reach a U.S. citizen living or traveling in Pakistan, you should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747.