By Gordon Williams Published on September 11, 2017 Key West, Florida is 2,722 miles from Seattle--about as far apart as two cities in the continental United States can be. Yet that distance proved to be no obstacle when volunteers from the Northwest Region joined the army of Red Cross workers heading south to help the … Continue reading A Long Trek from the Northwest to Help Hurricane Victims
These Maps Sharpen our Hurricane Response
By Gordon Williams The value of a map lays in its ability to deliver heaps of information to the user with just a glance: Distance, terrain, points of interest, population density and what the surrounding countryside is like. The American Red Cross is making use of very advanced types of maps, called WebMAPs, in its response … Continue reading These Maps Sharpen our Hurricane Response
When Every Second Counts
by Gordon Williams Visit just one fire scene, work your way through one burned-out dwelling, and you’ll understand why every second counts when a home catches fire. Until you see it first-hand, you can't imagine the devastation a fire can cause. A fire doubles in size every 30 seconds. As it spreads, it consumes … Continue reading When Every Second Counts
Best Friends–Now Red Cross Teammates
By Sara Shager Photos by Betsy Robertson American Red Cross volunteers Linda Strong and Betty Jackson have been associated with the Greater Inland Northwest Chapter in Wenatchee for three years this fall. “It’s so heartwarming to help the people who have just lived through a disaster,” says Betty. “The volunteer work we do with the … Continue reading Best Friends–Now Red Cross Teammates
Give Your Home an Autumn Safety Check
By Gordon Williams Colder weather is just ahead and colder weather brings frosty cheeks, falling leaves, football--and fires. The government’s U.S. Fire Administration says the frequency of home fires bottoms out in September and then climbs month-by-month as winter settles in. Peak month for home fires is January. Lisa Braxton of the Public Education Division … Continue reading Give Your Home an Autumn Safety Check
Sounding the (Silent) Alarm
By: Diane Toomey Edited by: Nancy Waddell Seven times a day someone in this country dies in a home fire, most often occurring in homes that lack working smoke alarms. A smoke alarm almost doubles your chance of surviving a home fire, one of the most common disasters in the U.S. As part of our Sound … Continue reading Sounding the (Silent) Alarm
Keep pets healthy when it’s smoky outside
Originally posted in August of 2017, the story is even more relevant today. Photo credit: Jen Blackwood, Seattle WA, September 14, 2020 By Gordon Williams We certainly love our pets: How else to explain why Americans own an estimated 78 million dogs and 86* million cats. [edited in 2024 to note that according to the … Continue reading Keep pets healthy when it’s smoky outside
Building a Radio System to Keep the Red Cross in Touch
By Gordon Williams When disaster strikes, nothing is more important to keeping all responders functioning as a team than solid, dependable radio communications. When disaster threatens to disrupt conventional means of communication as cell phones and landlines--as a Cascadia event might do--the need for a high-quality radio network becomes downright critical. In preparation for a … Continue reading Building a Radio System to Keep the Red Cross in Touch
Sounding the Alarm in Lake Wenatchee
By: Betsy Robertson Lake Wenatchee is a unique community, located about 20 miles east of Stevens Pass, arguably providing the very best of what our northwest lifestyle has to offer. Residents and weekenders are presented with year-round recreation, including cross country and downhill skiing, snowmobiling, camping, hiking, fly fishing … the list goes on. It’s what attracted … Continue reading Sounding the Alarm in Lake Wenatchee
How to Raise Water-Smart, Water-Safe Kids
By Gordon Williams There is one very grim statistic that no parent should ignore: that nearly 400 children under 14 die from drowning in the U.S. each year. And five times that number require emergency treatment for non-fatal water-related injuries. You can’t hope to keep kids away from water. Even if you live far away … Continue reading How to Raise Water-Smart, Water-Safe Kids
American Red Cross NW Region 