As of April 12, 2010, the NYG Reporter fully supports and promotes the American Red Cross on our website. You can find a link to the site on the right side bottom. I have personally done volunteer work for the Red Cross during the 2005 hurricane season (Wilma) in South Florida and another time in the late 1990’s. I know what it feels like to have no power, electricity or water for two weeks. Disaster relief and preparedness are things that no one generally thinks about until it’s too late. I would urge all Americans to have a proper kit ready for all disaster type situations. One of our community leaders Saulo Padua, who is practicing law in Brazil, just recently experienced first hand what the devastating storms can do. Brazil was hit very hard last week. Hopefully, Saulo can leave a comment here and tell us a little about what he has seen there. The Red Cross was founded in 1881 and has been helping with disaster relief for 129 years.
It doesn’t take much to contribute to the American Red Cross. The socialvibe company has made it even more simple to donate some time to them. If you click the American Red Cross banner on the bottom right hand side of the screen, it shows you that all you need to do, is spend some time (literally) looking around as a donation. It’s very simple and shows a “counter” with exactly how many minutes are being donated by those browsing. Everyone who checks out the American Red Cross from the NYG Reporter site will counted but not named, with respect to our community privacy policy. We will select a new charity to support every three months. It doesn’t mean we longer support the previously posted charity, it just means we are giving some other charities a chance to be promoted. We will settle on four charities to support and promote them seasonally. The American Red Cross is the first to be chosen but not the last.
I urge all parents and people alike, to take the time to make a disaster preparedness plan. Every home should have a small bag with the following items in it. Keep this bag in a place where you know it will always be ready to go if something should happen. Going over a “what to do if…” scenario with children and spouses. It takes one night of sitting and talking. Having the bag ready to go, takes a lot of thinking out of the process when trying getting back to normal. The thing with a disaster is you never really know what you are going to need, until you need it.
Here is the link to the American Red Cross website: http://www.redcross.org/
The NYG Reporter Disaster Preparedness Starter List:
1. Two Flashlights with extra batteries.
2. Hand Crank Weather Radio, no batteries needed.
3. Can Opener
4. Lighters/Matches
5. Water (as much as possible)
6. Leatherman Tool/Small Knife
7. Candles – enough for one week
8. First Aid Kit/Medications – size depends on actual family size
9. Bottle of Aspirin
10. Snack Bars – a couple of small boxes, granola, protein.
11. Hand Sanitizer – a couple of small bottles
12. State Map, Notebook and Pens
13. Canned Food (7) Jar of Coffee (1)
14. Important Papers Copies. Family and Friends contact information. Hand written copies of all phone numbers, email and home addresses.
15. Nylon Duffle Bag – weatherproof and large enough to carry all of your items. Extra Set of Keys.
SUPPORT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS TODAY!
RD – NYGReporter.com
nygreporter.com 
Hey Rob, very nice, and an incredible idea of yours. I had worked with the Red Cross before, volunteered full time in a ship stationed in NY to help 9/11 victims, and I have to say, the Red Cross is one of the things that bring balance to this world.
In Brazil, I was hit by the worst storm in 44 years in Rio de Janeiro last week, and things got very bad. Several landslides caused the deaths of hundreds of people, and other thousands are now homeless or still unable to reach their homes.
Most of these people are very poor, and do not possess the resources to rebuild, also having no alternative place to sleep. The Red Cross is helping out here in several ways, and I have been volunteering with them, as well as with the fire department. Rio de Janeiro is in grief right now, and we need all the help we can get.
Hey Saulo, it’s good to hear that you’re giving back to the community where you can. These things are much more real and human when they happen in your own backyard. I’m happy to hear that you have done some work with the Red Cross like me, I didn’t know that you had volunteered in the past. I hope that everything turns out for the better soon for Brazil.