Preparing for the Unexpected Scores a Hit
with New Yorkers
The events of September 11, 2001, the war in Iraq, and the
summer blackout showed all of us how important it is to be fully prepared for an
emergency. More than 28,000 New Yorkers have taken our free
Preparing for the Unexpected class to learn the basic skills they will
need for any type of emergency.
The 90-minute Preparing for the Unexpected program teaches
participants how to put together a disaster supplies kit, build a communication
plan and identify emergency procedures at school, home and work. Being prepared
enables people to act more effectively, which helps make our community safer.
Recently, WNET-TV featured the American Red Cross in
Greater New York and Preparing for the Unexpected in a special hourlong
program called “Don’t Panic, Prepare.” The special motivated many New Yorkers,
including Maureen Zeccola and Mark Trzepla, to sign up for Preparing for the
Unexpected.
Mark
and Maureen found the emergency checklist and the tips on organization
particularly useful. According to Mark, “The first thing you remember in a
crisis is what you’ve seen repeatedly, what you’ve really learned. Now we have
a checklist in our heads of what to do.”
“It’s just good to have something concrete,” agreed
Maureen.
Here’s what some other participants say:
“I was surprised at how much I learned in the class. For
example, I thought I was prepared having a fire extinguisher at home only to
learn that it expired a long time ago and was useless. I replaced it
immediately. I came away with several other safety procedures to incorporate in
my daily life for my family and me” - F. De Falco
“I have received a lot of emergency training in my workplace,
but I wanted to know how to deal with an emergency if I’m on the subway or at
home. While much of the class is common sense I had never thought about some
issues before. It was excellent information” - D. Asaro
Click here for more information on Preparing for the Unexpected
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