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.

The Tri-County Red Cross is having it's inaugural Mayor's Jail and Bail to raise money for local disaster relief.  Mayors from all 22 towns have been invited to participate, as have other community leaders such as school board members, business leaders, religious leaders, police and fire chiefs and more.

Mayors Colleen Mahr of Fanwood and Vic Sordillo of Warren are our chairs for this event, which will be held on October 2, 2010 at the Fanwood Municipal Court, 75 N. Martine Avenue, Fanwood, NJ. The following people have already committed.

2010 Mayors Jail and Bail Co-Chairs
Colleen Mahr, Mayor of Fanwood (Jail Bird Page)
Victor Sordillo, Mayor of Warren (Jail Bird Page) 

Mayor Jail Birds
Antonia Ricigliano, Mayor of Edison (Jail Bird Page) | Michael Giordano, Mayor of North Plainfield (Jail Bird Page) | Jim Kennedy, Mayor of Rahway (Jail Bird Page) | Joseph DeLorio, Mayor of Roselle Park (Jail Bird Page) | Nancy Malool, Mayor of Scotch Plains (Jail Bird Page) | Albert Ellis, Mayor of Watchung (Jail Bird Page) 

Elected Official Jail Birds
Derek Armstead, Councilman of Linden (Jail Bird Page) | Mary Forbes, Councilwoman of North Plainfield (Jail Bird Page) | Everett Merill, Councilman of North Plainfield (Jail Bird Page) | Douglas Singleterry, Councilman of North Plainfield (Jail Bird Page) | Jamel Holley, Councilman of Roselle (Jail Bird Page)

Community Leader Jail Birds
Michael Prasad, Tri-County Red Cross Emergency Services Director (Jail Bird Page) | James Rodino, North Plainfield Public Works Director (Jail Bird Page) | Beverly Rolston-Blenman, Vice President Solaris Health Systems (Jail Bird Page) | Nathan Rudy, Tri-County Red Cross Executive Director (Jail Bird Page) | Mark Vernick, Branch Manager, TD Bank of Scotch Plains (Jail Bird Page) 

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.

This is only a test. 

If you are a registered disaster volunteer or a member of our disaster reserves, you should have received an e-mail with a quick availability survey. If you are part of either of these groups and you did not receive an e-mail, please contact Emergency Services Director Mike Prasad by e-mail at prasadm@usa.redcross.org and he will send one to you right away.

If you would like to become part of our disaster volunteer pool to help support and operate shelters in our area during a disaster like a hurricane, please contact Mike at the e-mail address above. We have a constant need for more disaster shelter volunteers and all of the training is free.

This specific case originated through the Cuban Red Cross, and we were able to reunite two brothers - one living in Elizabeth and the other in Cuba. The Cuban brother was trying to find information about their father's death and had lost contact with his brother for some time.

All Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the world, including the American Red Cross have a mandate to provide tracing/welfare information services to their citizens. This is also one of the benefits that all Red Cross societies have in being independent from any governments. The Red Cross also provides a tracing service for civilian victims of the Nazi persecution and other war and civil war conflicts around the world.

To help support the efforts of the Tri-County Red Cross Chapter in furthering our International Services efforts, please make a donation online by clicking on this donate button. Thank you.

Contribute to the Tri-County Red Cross $

La clase de RCP-DEA y Primeros Auxilios, ha sido cancelada para mañana Sabado 26, de Junio.  La proxima clase sera el dia sabado, Julio 31 en nuestra oficina de Plainfield a las 8:30am.  Usted se puede registrar llendo a: www.tricountyredcross.org/training/cpr.html#espanol.

Red Cross disaster volunteer Audi Arvelo responded with Emergency Services Director Michael Prasad to assess the damage and the needs of the families.  Arvelo provided hotel rooms, food and clothing for the families to ensure their basic needs were cared for.

Initial Red Cross support for these families will cost $5,000.  Neighbors, local businesses and other in the Elizabeth community can contribute funds for these families and other victims of local fires and floods by visiting http://www.tricountyredcross.org/donate.html or calling (908) 756-6414 on Monday morning.

The American Red Cross is mandated by Congress to provide disaster relief in the United States of America, but receives no funding from the government to provide these services.  Instead the Tri-County Red Cross relies on contributions from local individuals, businesses and organizations to provide shelter, food and clothing.

If you would like to volunteer to support your neighbors in the Elizabeth and area, please call Mike Prasad at (908) 756-6414 to learn about free training in disaster preparedness and response.

With hurricane season upon us, officials from the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJ-OEM) urge residents to ensure that their families, homes and businesses are prepared for the risks associated with hurricanes and tropical storms.

"Now is the time for all New Jersey residents to get ready for threatening weather," said FEMA's William L. Vogel, the federal coordinating officer for the current disaster recovery efforts in New Jersey. "It's pretty simple stuff - Prepare an emergency kit, develop a family emergency plan and stay informed. These are simple things that could help save lives and property."

Learn more about those steps you can take by attending a "Be Red Cross Ready" presentation in our chapter - we have a number of them offered in June and July. Check out our web calendar for the dates, times and locations of these free presentations.

More information about the 2010 Hurricane season along with tips from FEMA and the NJ-OEM can be found here. 

The deadline for individuals and businesses to register for assistance is June 1, 2010.

"The registration deadline is quickly approaching, and we want to encourage those who need disaster aid to apply now," said Federal Coordinating Officer William L. Vogel. "Registering with FEMA is the first step in the recovery process, and help is only a telephone call away or a few clicks away on the Internet."

SOMERSET, N.J. -- La Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA, por sus siglas en inglés) anunciaron hoy que queda un mes para solicitar asistencia federal por desastre para aquellos que sufrieron pérdidas o daños como consecuencia de las severas tormentas e inundaciones de mediados de marzo y que viven o tienen negocios en los condados de New Jersey declarados zonas de desastre por el Presidente Obama bajo la declaración del 2 de abril de 2010.

La fecha límite para los individuos y las empresas para solicitar asistencia es el 1 de junio 2010.

"La fecha límite de inscripción se está acercando rápidamente, y queremos animar a aquellos que necesitan ayuda por desastre que apliquen ahora", dijo el Coordinador Federal William L. Vogel. "Registrarse con FEMA es el primer paso en el proceso de recuperación, y toda ayuda esta a sólo una llamada telefónica o a pasos en la Internet."