The kit, contained in a large storage tub, also contains flashlights, trash bags, extra toilet paper, caution tape, gloves and a number of other items that can help turn a facility into a shelter.  The kit has about $250 worth of items in it - and was funded by the generous donations of the local public to the Tri-County Red Cross. The same type of kit was distributed to North Plainfield OEM last month. We have three more of these kits, which will go out to towns that are active participants with the Red Cross, in terms of establishing Red Cross shelters and providing volunteers to staff those shelters. We serve 22 towns, and we would very much like to have at least one non-school shelter in each town, to support local disasters - so we need funding to build 17 more kits. If you would like to donate towards the purchase of items for these kits, please click on the donate button below.

While the kits have a lot of paperwork forms, signs and other items that a shelter manager needs, missing are cots, blankets, food - and of course the large number of volunteers needed to staff a shelter. The cots, blankets and food we store elsewhere but it's the volunteers that we need more of, to help support local shelters in all of the 22 towns that the Tri-County Red Cross serves. We estimate that it takes at least 30 people to operate a small shelter per day - 10 people per 8 hour shift.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a shelter volunteer - able to help us in the unlikely event we have a disaster, but ready and trained nonetheless - please visit our special shelter training page on our web site at www.tricountyredcross.org/dc.html.  

Stay Healthy
The Red Cross and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are offering the following tips to ensure you stay healthy:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective when soap and water aren't available.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Influenza (flu) is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing.
• If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Consult your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of the flu, such as:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Extreme tiredness
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea

For more information, see the Red Cross Flu Checklist.

Prepare for Potential Flu Outbreak
Stocking extra food, water and supplies at home will reduce the need to go out should swine flu become more widespread, thereby limiting potential for exposure to the virus. If a person does get sick and has extra supplies on hand, they will help reduce the spread of the flu by staying home.

• Store a two-week supply of food, water and household necessities (such as laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc.). Select foods that are easy to prepare and store. 
• Store one gallon of water per person per day in clean plastic containers. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles.
• Ensure that formula for infants and any child's or older person's special nutritional needs are a part of your planning. Store an extra supply of food for your pets.
• Make sure you have an adequate supply of essential medications and medical items for all family members.

The Red Cross recommends you take this opportunity to prepare your family for any disaster by getting a preparedness kit, making a plan and being informed. More information is available on the Red Cross Web site.

Up-to-the-minute updates on the swine flu can be found at the CDC Web site. People seeking information on human swine flu should visit the CDC Web site or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.