As published in the Jefferson County Suburban Journals .

A new survey by the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter reveals that most St. Louisans have not taken the necessary steps to be ready for another local emergency.

The results of the study were released in time for the one-year anniversary of the severe windstorm and resulting power outages that struck the St. Louis region in July 2006.

On Friday, Aug. 10, Omar Ruiz of the Jefferson County Service Center and Nicole Holtgrefe of the St. Louis Area Chapter summarized the new preparedness study during an interview on KJFF Radio (1400 AM). Ruiz and Holtgrefe emphasized both good and bad news for the community. The good news is that most St. Louisans generally understand what it means to be ready; however, the bad news is that the majority have not acted on that knowledge. During the interview, listeners were encouraged to make emergency preparedness a personal priority.

The 2007 American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Preparedness Survey was conducted by Fleishman-Hillard Research in May, 2007. The telephone survey included 402 adults within the St. Louis Area Chapter's coverage area. This includes the city of St. Louis and St. Louis, St. Charles, and Jefferson counties in Missouri, along with Monroe and St. Clair counties in Illinois.

The survey revealed that four in 10 St. Louisans have prepared for the next local disaster by creating a family emergency plan. Based on the survey's findings, St. Louis ranks slightly above the national average, which may be attributed to increased awareness stemming from recent experiences with local emergencies. The Red Cross has opened emergency shelters in the metropolitan area on three occasions in the last 12 months: once in July 2006, once in December 2006 and once in January 2007.

Overall, St. Louis area residents have an idea of what a disaster or emergency supply kit should include, however less than half of all residents (41 percent) have actually prepared a kit for their home. The survey also reveals that 71 percent of local residents say they have experienced some kind of hardship as a result of a public emergency.

These hardships included being unable to reach family, having to evacuate their home or community for one or more nights, being without electricity for three or more days, having to leave work for one or more days, or being unable to get to the store for three or more days.

Despite these personal hardships, the majority of local citizens have not taken the necessary steps to prepare. Of those who have not prepared, 60 percent said the reason is that they have never thought about it or they don't think they will ever experience another emergency.

The severe weather of the last year shows just how vulnerable St. Louis is to emergencies. Ruiz and Holtgrefe emphasized that by planning for all scenarios, the community can significantly reduce the fear of the unknown. The two then focused on the things that each of us could do to make our home, school and workplace a safer environment.

To make emergency preparedness as easy as possible, the American Red Cross has introduced a variety of resources, including the new Be Red Cross Ready online tool now available at www.redcrossstl.org.

The Be Red Cross Ready program streamlines preparedness into three easy steps:

• Get an emergency supplies kit with at least three days of supplies, including water and non-perishable, high-protein food items;
• Make an emergency plan that establishes responsibilities for each family member and identifies two places to meet following a disaster;
• Be informed by learning what disasters may occur locally, while identifying how authorities will disseminate information during times of emergency.

Community Disaster Education (CDE) presentations are designed for all ages, reach more than 82,000 people throughout the region each year, and are available at no cost to the public. The CDE curriculum can be tailored for a variety of emergency scenarios, ranging from home fires, winter storms, earthquakes and tornadoes to thunderstorms, floods and pandemic flu.

Ready-made disaster supply kits containing basic emergency supplies are available for purchase, range from $40 to $70, and should be adapted for each family's unique needs and circumstances. The Red Cross also helps people build their own kits by providing a comprehensive list of necessary supplies.

Online CPR and First Aid training is available at www.redcrossstl.org, enabling participants to complete all prerequisites and written testing at their own pace from the comfort of home.

Once the online portion is completed, course participants demonstrate skills to a Red Cross instructor to achieve certification. The St. Louis Area Chapter trains more than 85,000 people in CPR, First Aid and the proper use of Automated External Defibrillators each year.

Ruiz and Holtgrefe later recapped the Red Cross response to the severe windstorm and power outages in July 2006. In the aftermath of that local emergency, the Red Cross opened four emergency shelters to accommodate 750 guests, providing immediate shelter, food, emotional support and emergency supplies as needed in the wake of the disaster.

More than 200 Red Cross volunteers participated in the relief effort last summer, serving more than 15,300 meals and snacks through the sheltering operation, while delivering 60,000 Heater Meals in cooperation with the National Guard and state and local emergency management agencies.

The community response to the windstorm and power outages demonstrated the importance of outstanding partnerships among non-profit organizations, businesses, municipalities and government agencies.

Ruiz and Holtgrefe concluded the KJFF interview by discussing their recent deployments to Kansas and Texas in response to extensive regional flooding. During his deployment, Ruiz served as a manager in Kansas providing leadership in mass care services, which includes feeding, sheltering and bulk distribution. Holtgrefe worked in the headquarters for the entire Texas operation and was in charge of ensuring disaster victims had access to client assistance. Holtgrefe also led a training session for the local Red Cross chapter.

To learn more about the new local preparedness study, emergency preparedness, or recent disaster-related deployments in response to flooding throughout the Midwest, Ruiz and Holtgrefe encouraged the public to contact the American Red Cross Jefferson County Service Center at 636.464.9150 or www.redcrossstl.org.

The next Red Cross interview will air live on KJFF Radio (1400 AM) at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 14 with an opportunity for listeners to call in with questions.