How Can You Be A Force Of Nature?

by Carmen Wright, volunteer contributor

As we have all experienced in the last few weeks, weather patterns in Texas can be unpredictable. Prepare yourself for all the severe weather we see here in North Texas—tornadoes, droughts, flooding, and even snowstorms—by joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) campaign to  “Be a Force of Nature” by taking the following steps:

STAY INFORMED:

•    Visit www.weather.gov
This site has it all: an interactive map of the U.S. that provides forecast for the entire country or just your little corner of Texas; active alerts so you know what is going on right now; maps showing air quality and rainfall; maps of weather history; radar of current weather systems and other data.

•    Check out STATE OF THE CLIMATE
I admit I did not know this site existed, but now that I know I’ve turned into a complete weather nerd. It provides helpful summaries, maps, and graphs of weather trends in the U.S. You can read the report for January 2015 and see how we started the year or go back and see national monthly percent area for drought since 1900!

•    Follow weather on Social Media
Let’s be honest; if you can have time to follow tweets for #foodiebandnames (one of my favorites is Nine Inch Kales), then you have time in your life for helpful tweets from the National Weather Service and NOAA.

•    Get the Red Cross Tornado App
Get real-time tornado alerts and warnings on your phone, take a quiz to see how prepared you are, get access to 63 years of tornado history, and learn what to do before, during and after a tornado.

PREPARE YOURSELF:

•    Make a disaster supply kit
At the very least this should include one gallon of water per person per day for three days, flashlight, three-day supply of non-perishable food, whistle, first aid kit, battery powered or hand-cranked radio, a NOAA radio, extra batteries, wrench or pliers, local map, moist toilettes, manual can opener, and cell phone with charger.

Have a Family Emergency Plan
 Being prepared is great, but make sure you have communicated plans to family members on where to go for safety, how you will contact each other, how you will find each other, and what you will do in different situations.  Also consider your bigger family: your community. If your work, school, or place of worship does not have an emergency plan, volunteer to help create one. Finally, don’t forget to include your pets in your plans!

LIVE LONG and BE PREPARED! 

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The Importance of Practicing Lightning Safety

by Suzanne Wiley, volunteer contributor

Are you the type that gets a kick out of rubbing a balloon on your younger sibling’s head to watch their hair stand up on end? No matter your age, it always looks hilarious, right? 

Have you ever experienced that same charge without rubbing a balloon on your head or after shuffling on the carpet and touching something metal? Way back when I was a silly little girl whose main concern was fun in the sun, my friend and I were swimming in a resort pool at the Lake of the Ozarks. Foreboding gray clouds had formed in the distance. We failed to realize we were putting ourselves in great danger. You see, a severe thunderstorm was brewing and the static electricity in the air was so intense, our hair was standing up on end just as if we had rubbed a balloon on each other’s heads. 

The clouds in the sky that day were statically charged with electricity—a clear sign to get out of the water and go inside. Luckily, we did become alarmed and went inside. Our child wonderment and amusement could have been cut short that day; lightning kills more Americans a year than tornados and hurricanes. The only other weather event that causes more fatalities is flooding. Indeed, NOAA isn’t wrong when they say that lightning is the most “underrated weather hazard.” 

Lightning Facts

Scientists and weather specialists are still trying to figure out lightning, but what we do know is that the mixture of a storm cloud’s water droplets and ice, air currents and ground evaporation cause turbulence inside the cloud, polarizing the cloud’s structure. Positive charges form in the upper part of the cloud, while negative charges form in the bottom. This reaction causes an electric charge not only in the cloud, but also on the ground below. When these two electrostatic charges meet, a lightning bolt strikes. 

A lightning bolt can hold up to 300 million volts of electricity and can heat the air around it five times hotter than the sun’s surface. Every day around the world there is an estimated 2,000 thunderstorms. All thunderstorms produce lightning. On average, that is eight million lightning strikes a day. 

It does not necessarily have to be cloudy and rainy for lightning to strike, either. Lightning has the capability to strike 10 miles away from its originating thunderstorm. If you hear thunder—the sound lightning makes—you can be struck. (We see lightning before we hear it, because light travels faster than sound.) Even 30 minutes after a storm passes, you can still be struck by lightning, so stay indoors or in your shelter 30 minutes after you hear the last round of thunder, or see the last lightning strike. 

There are many myths floating around about lightning safety. Did you know that many victims of lightning strikes were either standing under a tree or in their garage? Though lightning is not attracted to any certain item, like a metal fence, there are many good conductors for electricity—water, concrete and metal being the top conductors. There are three factors that go into where lightning strikes—height, space and isolation. One thing that is true about lightning—it tends to hit the tallest thing around.

Even though only about 10 percent of the 400 Americans hit by lightning a year die, more than half suffer long-term devastating effects such as brain damage, memory loss, and severe burns. Over your lifetime, you have a one in 3,000 chance of being struck by lightning. But here is the good news: most lightning strikes are completely avoidable! Don’t wait too long to seek shelter like I did as a kid. If clouds form and it turns dark, you see lightning or hear thunder seek shelter right away—not “just after this inning.” 

When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors! 

Whatever you do, do not stay out in the soccer field or baseball diamond. When storm clouds form, you hear thunder or see lightning seek shelter indoors. Baseball dugs out, concrete bathrooms or picnic table shelters and shades are not safe. Lightning travels through concrete. Your best bet is to seek shelter in a building with electricity and plumbing. Like I said above, it is true what you have always been told, lightning will strike the tallest thing, so don’t be the tallest thing, nor stand under the tallest thing. The second leading cause of lightning strike fatalities is due from standing under a tree. If your only option is trees, do not pick a large, isolated tree. Seek shelter under a small cluster of shorter trees. And for goodness sake’s put down your umbrella! That metal tip at the top might just as well be Benjamin Franklin’s lightning rod! 

Bring your pets inside, as well. Doghouses will not protect your pet. While inside, do not shower, bathe, wash dishes, or use a corded phone. Lightning can travel through wires. Stay away from windows and go all the way inside if you are in the garage. Cell phones and battery-operated electronics are safe to use during a lightning storm. Listen to the weather, turn on your NOAA-approved emergency weather alert radio, or download the American Red Cross app to stay current on when it is safe to go back outside. It is definitely not the time to fly a kite, raise a flagpole, or wear your 5-inch heels. 

If you are outside and nowhere near home, your car, as long as it is not a convertible and the windows are rolled up is a safe place to seek shelter from a lightning storm. If no inside shelter or vehicle is accessible, do not remain in an open field, try to pick a wooded area and assume the “lightning position.” This position will not guarantee you will not be hit, but you have a better chance of remaining safe. To assume the lightning position, squat or crouch down on your feet. Roll up with your feet together, head down and wrap your arms around your knees. Do NOT lie down. 

Get off and out of the water immediately if you are swimming or boating and seek shelter indoors. If you happen to be too far out from shore, stop all activities such as tubing, skiing, or swimming, and go into the cabin of the boat. For boats without cabins, crouch down in the bottom. Do not touch any of the electronics in the boat. If you do not have a lightning protection system, remove or lower all metal poles, like the antenna or lights. Do not touch two different metal things at the same time. 

It is safe to touch someone hit by lightning. You will not get shocked. They need immediate help. Perform CPR if necessary and call 911. 

Because of the frequency of thunderstorms and increase in outdoor activities, summer is peak season for lightning. To be safe, always pay attention to the weather, and cancel any outdoor activities if there is any threat of thunderstorms. 

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So Far, 2011 A Costly Disaster Year

Damaged homes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama after a devastating tornado.
Photo: Dennis Drenner/American Red Cross

Experts estimate disasters caused more than $35 billion in losses

It’s been a costly year for disasters in the United States and the American Red Cross has been responding all over the country to help the thousands of people affected by flooding, tornadoes, drought and extreme heat, wildfires and other emergencies.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates the country’s economic loss attributable to disasters at more than $35 billion so far with several disasters each adding up to losses of $1 billion or more. The country is in the midst of hurricane season, which experts predict could be very active, so these numbers could grow.

The disasters in the NOAA report include:

• flooding in the upper Midwest (Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri)
  
  
• flooding along the Mississippi River, especially in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Louisiana
  
  
• extreme drought and heat combined with wildfires in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Kansas, Arkansas and Louisiana
  
  
• deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and southeast (Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee)

Nearly 14,000 Red Cross disaster workers from across the country supported 46 relief operations spread over more than half of the country this spring. They opened 287 shelters, served 3.5 million meals and snacks, distributed 1.7 million relief items, and provided 81,000 mental health and health consultations.

Their work is not over. More than 100 people in North Dakota remain in shelters after the disastrous flooding in the Minot area. Every day chapters respond to smaller disasters such as home fires. One fire involving multiple families in Montgomery County, MD, resulted in 85 residents coming to a Red Cross shelter.

Every year, the Red Cross spends an average of approximately $450 million preparing for and responding to nearly 70,000 disasters across the country and around the world. This includes both large disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes and smaller disasters such as house fires.

If you would like to help, please consider making a donation today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to your local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

Resources on RedCross.org

• Heat Wave Safety
• Wild Fire Safety
• Preparing for Drought

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American Red Cross Using Technology to Help People Prepare for Hurricane Season

Photo courtesy of NOAA

With new predictions for an above-average 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, the American Red Cross is adding technology to the many ways it helps people to get prepared.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that 12-18 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-6 major hurricanes will occur this year. The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1, and families can take steps now to create a family emergency plan.

To make that planning easier, the Red Cross has developed a free iPhone app that gives the location of all open Red Cross shelters. The app not only maps the location of a shelter, but also shows current capacity and population. To download the app, users can visit the Apple store and search "American Red Cross shelters." For those without an iPhone, the same shelter information also appears on the Red Cross website and can be accessed by visiting www.redcross.org and clicking on "Find a Shelter." Both are refreshed with updated information every 30 minutes.

In addition, the Red Cross Safe and Well website now allows users to update their Facebook and Twitter status when they register on the site. Safe and Well is a secure way to let your loved ones know where you are going during a hurricane evacuation or that you are "okay" in the aftermath of a disaster. If users choose to do so, they can easily let their entire network of friends and family know they are safe in one step.

"This is an ideal time to get a disaster supply kit ready, make an evacuation plan with your family, and get information on what to do during a hurricane," said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of Red Cross Disaster Services. "It’s also the right time to learn how to locate a shelter or use Safe and Well, and new technology is making it even easier to do that."

Along with working to prepare people in the U.S., the American Red Cross is working to prepare vulnerable populations in Haiti with training in early warning systems and emergency first aid, as well as other measures, as hurricane season approaches for that country, which is still dealing with the 2010 earthquake that left so many homeless.

More broadly, the global Red Cross network has been working with the Haitian Red Cross to help Haitians better prepare for and respond to disasters. For example, an estimated 5.5 million text messages about ways to prepare for disasters have been sent to Haitians.

American Red Cross disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction programs have helped Haitians in about 40 camps prepare for heavy rains and hurricanes, and this program will expand in the months to come. Some of the activities held in these camps include emergency first aid courses, training in early warning systems (bullhorns and whistles), projects such as digging ditches and sandbagging hillsides, preparation of evacuation routes, and workshops to teach children about disaster preparedness.

In addition, Haitian Red Cross branches across the country have been strengthened with extra training for staff and new office and communications equipment. More than 1,600 people have been trained by the Red Cross in vulnerability and capacity assessment or community-based disaster management. The Red Cross has also built a Disaster Operations Center in Hinche and pre-positioned relief supplies for 25,000 families to be used during future disasters in Haiti. The American Red Cross has also helped to supply additional tarps to vulnerable Haitians whose shelters may be damaged or destroyed, and have staff on standby to provide emergency response in coordination with members of the global Red Cross network.

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CBS11 and TX21 Keep the Red Cross Ready With $5,000 Donation

This past spring we announced that CBS 11 and TX21 were going to promote NOAA weather radios sales at area Walgreens stores to benefit the D/FW Red Cross chapters.

Well we're pleased to report that yesterday CBS 11 Chief Meteorologist Larry Mowry(middle), presented Jessica Dunn, Dallas Area Chapter (left), and Patricia Thomson, Chisholm Trail Chapter (right) with a check for $5,000. We are so excited and so grateful for their support!

We're also proud of the CBS 11 and TX 21 viewers that purchased weather radios.

September is National Preparedness Month, a time set aside for the last seven years to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities.

The American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter urges North Texas residents to make a renewed effort this month to prepare for emergencies such as fires, floods or storms. Our free online education program, Be Red Cross Ready, can walk you through the three key preparedness steps: getting an emergency kit, making an emergency plan and being informed.

You can start by purchasing a weather radio for your home, if you have not already done so.

Learn more about being prepared by visiting www.redcrossdallas.org/.

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