Thinking ahead now, in the aftermath of severe weather outbreaks throughout the central U.S., can help you and Red Cross volunteers be as safe as possible this summer.
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00:00 And as many of us are gathered with family and friends, it's a good day to remember summer safety tips too.
00:05 Because a lot of people think of today as the unofficial start to summer.
00:09 Callie Edwards is the Division Communications Director with the American Red Cross.
00:13 Thanks for joining us on this Memorial Day, Callie.
00:15 Thank you so much for having me.
00:18 Callie, first we want to talk about the Red Cross.
00:21 They're still mobilized in several different locations after all the stormy weather we've had
00:26 so far this spring, including recent tornadoes.
00:29 So what is the latest?
00:30 Yes, as you know and you've said, it has been a very busy spring.
00:36 Much of the central, south, and eastern parts of the country have been barraged by extreme weather.
00:42 Our hearts are going out to those affected, the lives that have been lost.
00:48 And we just can't say enough how much we're thinking about these families and communities
00:54 that are affected.
00:55 But we also know the Red Cross is going to be here to help and our volunteers are mobilizing.
01:00 Now we've already had several days of high temperatures too across the country
01:05 that have challenged records.
01:07 Are there some heat safety tips for those in the upcoming months?
01:10 Absolutely.
01:12 And some of the heat safety tips are the same things that we tell our volunteers that are out
01:16 in the field helping these communities.
01:18 Wear light clothing, take frequent breaks, work with a buddy
01:23 so you're able to take time out from that heat.
01:26 If you are in a situation from these storms where you've been affected by power outages,
01:32 we encourage you to look to see if your community has any cooling centers.
01:36 Are you able to go to any areas like a library, a mall, things like that,
01:40 that have that cooler temperature.
01:43 We do have shelters as well in some of these impacted areas where you can visit redcross.org
01:50 or you can download our Red Cross emergency app to find shelter locations that are available.
01:55 And you can go to those shelters that beat the heat as well.
01:58 You mentioned power outages.
02:01 Obviously with rounds of recent severe storms, we've had a lot of those.
02:05 So how are we really dealing with the aftermath of all this severe weather activity?
02:10 Well, we also know that we're on the verge of hurricane season.
02:14 It's right around the corner.
02:16 These are times where we can start to prepare now for those types of emergencies.
02:21 We know that severe weather like this can bring on power outages.
02:24 We know that it can impact communities for several days until help can arrive.
02:30 So we encourage people no matter where they are to know that emergency,
02:35 extreme weather can happen and they are best to prepare themselves by having their emergency kit,
02:42 making their plan about where they're going to go,
02:44 especially if they're asked to evacuate or lose power.
02:47 Those types of things, thinking ahead now can help when these extreme disasters happen.
02:52 And of course, we're grateful for all of the work that the Red Cross does
02:57 and all the staffers and volunteers do every day.
03:00 How can people contribute to your efforts?
03:03 Obviously there's a lot going on in the upcoming months with hurricane season.
03:06 Yes, with the continuing climate crisis, we're seeing these disasters,
03:13 extreme weather happen faster and faster and also those heat waves lasting longer and longer.
03:19 If you are looking for ways to help, we encourage you to visit redcross.org.
03:24 You can make a donation.
03:25 You can sign up to give blood.
03:27 Sometimes our communities are affected and lose blood drive.
03:31 So signing up to make an appointment near you can help.
03:33 You can also sign up to volunteer, which I will say many of our Red Crossers are
03:39 our veterans as well that are out in those communities.
03:42 So you want to give them a special shout out today.
03:44 But redcross.org is the easiest way to find a way to support our mission
03:49 and the people that are helping these devastated communities.
03:52 And I want to let you know a lot of people headed to the beach, the pool for the days to come.
03:58 What should families do to prepare, especially around water safety?
04:02 Absolutely.
04:04 For those that are doing making those plans this summer,
04:07 we encourage you to think about water safety first and foremost.
04:12 Drowning is not like the movies where it's slow.
04:15 When drowning can happen very quick, very fast, it can be a silent killer.
04:20 We want to make sure that there's always someone that's trained.
04:23 We recommend that people swim in an area where there are lifeguards,
04:28 where they always swim with a buddy and they're making those plans.
04:31 Also, when it comes to water safety, really make sure that you're heeding the warnings,
04:37 especially the beaches and lifeguards.
04:40 Make sure that you're following those recommendations as well.
04:43 Thank you, Callie Edwards, Division Communications Director for the American Red Cross.