Lookie see what I found!
'We Will Not Be Afraid. We Will Be Ready'
February 19, 2003
By KOMO Staff & News Services
"We will not be afraid. We will be ready," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who traveled to Cincinnati to announce the program and meet with safety and emergency workers at the local Red Cross. "Make a kit! Have a plan! Get informed!" he said.
Officials said they crafted the campaign to avoid scaring people while providing some commonsense ideas that will help families find and care for each other when normal government and emergency services aren't available.
One billboard will be going up in Times Square in New York City later this month.
The Martin Agency, an advertising firm in Richmond, Va., developed the multimedia campaign pro bono, according to Homeland Security officials.
http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=23159Interesting timing for a Red Cross warning in New York paper this week.
Red Cross Emergency Warning (New York Daily News - March 8, 2004)
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/171332p-149520c.html One in four New Yorkers haven't taken the most basic steps to prepare for an emergency - and less than half know basic first aid, a Red Cross survey found.
Even after the terror attacks and last summer's blackout, 25% of New Yorkers say they are "not very" or "not at all" prepared for an emergency, the poll of 602 adults showed.
A quarter of New Yorkers don't have an emergency kit, 56% don't know CPR or first aid and 36% don't have a plan to communicate with family members in a crisis.
Theresa Bischoff, CEO of the Greater New York American Red Cross, called the results a "wakeup call" that should spur New Yorkers to think ahead.
"You can't predict what will happen, but you can prepare," she said.
The Red Cross recommends New Yorkers have a disaster plan that includes a meeting place and an emergency kit to be kept at the office with water, flashlights and perhaps a pair of sneakers.
New Yorkers interviewed in Chelsea yesterday had a variety of excuses for not being prepared.
"I have a flashlight," shrugged Jeffrey Thomas, 26, an actor. "If something's gonna happen, it's gonna happen and I'll deal with it when it happens."
The Red Cross is starting a weekly disaster-planning class at its Manhattan headquarters. For more information, go to www.nyredcross.org.