ARC/GNY has published Chinese and Korean language emergency preparedness brochures that explain the important steps residents need to take during fires, flooding, power outages, or more severe disasters that can affect Queens. The translation and publication of the brochures were made possible by a $2,500 grant from New York State Assembly Member Ellen Young.

ARC/GNY has published 14,000 brochures, 7,000 in each language. They are available at the Queens Red Cross office at 132-02 Queens Boulevard in Briarwood, at Assembly Member Young's district office at 39-07 Prince Street (Suite 3C) in Flushing and at the following centers and organizations -- Nan Shan Senior Center, Self-Help Prince Street Senior Center, Twain Center, Tzi Chi Foundation, Queens Botanical Garden Tai Chi Group, Korean Community Empowerment Council, the Korean American Association of Greater New York and Korean Community Services.

"We recognize the importance of the phrase 'It is better to be safe than to be sorry,'” said Assembly Member Young. “This past summer, our area experienced massive flooding that came with little warning and seriously damaged homes and property, and caused the federal government to declare Queens -- our home -- a national disaster area.

“There were people who suffered thousands of dollars in damages. When I opened my office to help the affected residents to register with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), in one day we helped more than 50 families while assisting more than 100 families in total. Many of them came because they did not speak English as a first language. That is why I am happy I was able to secure the funding for the Red Cross to publish these emergency preparedness brochures that we had translated into Korean and Chinese. They are informative and they can help families create emergency readiness plans. I believe these Red Cross brochures can help save lives.”