Show Her You Care: Prepare!

Being able to contact our loved ones is something we may take for granted—and it’s only in an emergency that we realize how tenuous those connections can be. So when you call your mom this Mother’s Day, take a few minutes to make an emergency communication plan.

Make a Plan

Print out the Emergency Contact Card to help guide you. Write down your local emergency numbers and the contact information for an out-of-area emergency contact person. As often happens during disasters, it may be easier to text or call long distance since local phone lines may be overloaded or out of service.

Putting a plan in place can help families stay connected with loved ones nearby and overseas, should an emergency strike. Every year, people are separated from their relatives in an emergency, such as an earthquake, typhoon or armed conflict. Telephone, Internet and postal services are often disrupted, leaving loved ones miles or oceans apart with no way to communicate.

Tips to keep in mind in case you can’t reach a loved one during an emergency:

• Call during off-peak hours or send text messages, which can often work even if telephone lines are down.
• Check social networking profiles, such as Facebook or Twitter.
• Contact employers, schools or religious centers where loved ones might go.
• Use a free Internet-based tool, such as Safe and Well at www.redcross.org, to send or search for messages from loved ones within the U.S.
• Reach out to the U.S. State Department (1-888-407-4747) to inquire about loved ones with U.S. citizenship who are traveling or residing in another country.

Restoring Family Links

The Red Cross also offers a free service to help re-establish communication between immediate relatives separated internationally by a war or disaster, and this past year helped reconnect more than 4,200 families.

Local caseworkers work with families to find loved ones and send messages until normal communications can be restored. In places like refugee camps, such a message is often the only method of communication available, but the words “I am alive” may be all that is needed to ease the minds of distraught relatives half a world away.

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How To Find Loved Ones In Japan

With thousands of missing people in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, families are anxiously looking for information about their loved ones. Unfortunately, the list of unaccounted keeps getting longer and longer. The Kyodo News Agency is reporting today that over 10,000 people are dead or missing, and many officials believe that estimate is too low.

You can turn to several Web sites for information on missing people:

ICRC Family Links: Register on this Web
site from inside or outside the affected areas if you're looking for a
relative or if you want to inform your relatives that you are alive. This is
a free service and is available in various languages.

Google People Finder:
Search for someone or leave information about someone. This is a free service and available in several languages.

Inquiries concerning U.S. citizens living or traveling in Japan should be referred to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services at 1-888-407-4747 or 202 647-5225.

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