Red Cross graphic – Evacuate your home! If it becomes too hot, go to an air-conditioned place like a library, mall or public cooling center.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), extreme summer heat is increasing. Climate projections indicate that extreme heat events will be more frequent and intense in coming decades. The American Red Cross has information to help keep everyone safe during summer heat.
Dangers of extreme heat
Exposure to extreme heat poses significant health risks and even heat related health emergencies and deaths, all of which have increased over the years. The main health conditions directly related to heat include heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Older people, those with chronic medical conditions and young children are specifically prone to heat-related health problems. Hot temperatures also contribute to heart attacks and strokes.
The increased heat can also cause wildfires, which are also more common. Southeastern Pennsylvania was even affected by the smoke from Canadian wildfires last year.
Red Cross graphic – You need to drink at least 12 cups of water per day during a heat wave.
Safety tips
With rising incidence of the heat wave around the nation, here is how to keep yourself safe from the heat:
Stay in air conditioned buildings if possible. Find out about any cool places in your area, such as a library or a shopping center. If you do not know of any near you, then contact your local health department and find a cooling center near you.
Install air conditioners in your home. A fan is not enough as it gives the body a fake sensation of comfort and does not reduce body temperature.
Stay well hydrated. Drink more water than usual. If you have health conditions that limit fluid intake, then check with your doctor about the amount of water that you can drink
Never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle. Inside of the parked cars can quickly get heated to 120 F.
Avoid any outdoor activities especially from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., if possible. This will reduce your risk for any heat-related conditions
Wear loose and light colored clothings. Take cool showers or baths.
If by any chance you have to wear a mask, be sure to wear one that has breathable fabric, such as cotton. Polyester is not a breathable fabric.
Be sure to check on your neighbors, family, or friends who may not be safe from the heat.
As for pet safety, make sure pets have cool water and shade. Check on them frequently to find out if they are feeling well.
Red Cross graphic – Don’t use an electric fan during warm weather. Using a fan when the indoor temperature is over 95 degrees F may cause your body to gain heat instead of losing it.
Following these simple tips will keep yourself and your family safe from the heat. Visit our website or download our free First Aid app for more tips.
Red Cross graphic – 1 in 7 people have been directly impacted by the climate crisis in the last 10 years. Source: IFRC
In 2023, the intensifying climate crisis took a devastating toll on people in the U.S. who turned to the American Red Cross for help coping with a record number of billion-dollar disasters.
So far this year, an all-time high of 25 billion-dollar disasters ravaged communities across the country, with the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region deploying volunteers to 18 different national disasters to help with relief efforts. And these back-to-back disasters led to a series of blood drive cancellations, which further strained the national Red Cross blood supply that was already dwindling from summer travel and back-to-school activities.
“The climate crisis is causing more humanitarian needs for families in the Delaware Valley and across the country, from the deadly flash flood in Bucks County over the summer to devastating wildfires in Hawaii,” Jennifer Graham, Regional CEO for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania said. “This holiday season, please remember those who need support in the face of emergencies — and join us to provide care and comfort by making a financial donation or by giving blood or platelets.”
In addition to responding to these climate-driven disasters across the country, here at home Red Cross volunteers respond to an average of 2-3 home fires every day. So far in 2023, the Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania has responded to more than 700 home fires, leaving more than 2,200 people displaced across Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. The Red Cross provides these families with temporary shelter and helps with longer term disaster recovery services.
Help during the holidays by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation or an appointment to give blood or platelets. You can also register for volunteer opportunities in our area.
Red Cross graphic – Actions we’re taking to address the climate crisis: 1. Enhancing large scale disaster response services. 2. Strengthening local partnerships to mitigate health, hunger and housing challenges. 3. Growing our disaster teams to provide more relief. 4. Expanding our financial assistance programs.
INCREASING SUPPORT AMID THE CLIMATE CRISIS
With the growing frequency and intensity of disasters driven by the climate crisis, the Red Cross is racing to adapt its services and grow its disaster response capacity across the country. As part of this national work in 2023, the Red Cross distributed $108 million in financial assistance directly to people after disasters of all sizes, including major disasters such as Hurricane Idalia, the Hawaii wildfires and a spate of tornadoes across multiple states.
Due to increased needs from the climate crisis, the Red Cross has expanded financial assistance programs for major extreme weather disasters — including to help families bridge critical recovery gaps, such as security deposits for new housing and costs for home repairs.
Across the country, the Red Cross is delivering this vital financial assistance on top of its immediate relief efforts — including safe shelter, nutritious meals and emotional support — which have been provided on a near-constant basis for this year’s relentless extreme disasters. In fact, this year’s onslaught of large disasters drove an increase in emergency lodging provided by the Red Cross with partners — with overnight stays up more than 50% compared to the annual average for the previous five years.
During 2023, Red Cross volunteers from Southeastern Pennsylvania deployed more than 200 times to help with these large disasters across the country, including floods in California, wildfires in Hawaii, tornadoes in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri, Typhoon Mawaar in Guam, Hurricane Idalia in Florida, flooding in Vermont and many more.
Red Cross graphic – There for the moments that matter.
RESPONDING TO ADDITIONAL EMERGING NEEDS
Beyond the climate crisis, people stepped up through the Red Cross to address other emerging needs for communities, including:
BLOOD DONATIONS: As the nation’s largest blood supplier, the Red Cross is grateful for the millions of donors who rolled up a sleeve throughout the year for patients in need. To further improve people’s health outcomes, the Red Cross has been working with community partners to introduce blood donation to a new and more diverse generation of blood donors — which is critical to ensuring that a reliable blood supply is available to the 1 in 7 hospital patients who need a lifesaving blood transfusion. The holidays can be a challenging time to collect enough blood for those in need. To book a time to give, visit RedCrossBlood.org, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App or call 1-800-RED CROSS. As a thank-you, all who come to give blood, platelets or plasma Dec. 1-17 will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. Terms apply. See rcblood.org/Amazon. Plus, those who come to give Dec. 18-Jan. 5 will get a legendary long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while they last!
LIFESAVING TRAINING: This year, the Red Cross expanded its training to empower people to act during current-day crises — which is vital considering that nearly half of U.S. adults report being unprepared to respond to a medical emergency. This included launching the new “Until Help Arrives” online training course last spring for opioid overdoses, severe bleeding, cardiac arrest and choking emergencies, and partnering with professional sports leagues through the Smart Heart Sports Coalition to help prevent tragedies among student athletes by offering CPR training and increasing access to AEDs.
MILITARY FAMILIES: Red Cross workers helped service members on U.S. military installations and deployment sites worldwide — including in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. As part of our support this year, Red Cross volunteers delivered emergency communications messages connecting more than 87,000 service members with their loved ones during times of family need, while also engaging members in morale and wellness activities during deployments.
INTERNATIONAL: As part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the American Red Cross supported international response efforts to disasters such as this year’s massive earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, the drought and hunger crisis in Africa, and flooding in Pakistan and Bangladesh. This has included providing millions in cash assistance, food, shelter, basic supplies, medical care and mental health services. As devastating conflicts persist in other areas of the world, the global Red Cross Movement continues to provide aid for people suffering, including those in Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza, as part of its neutral, humanitarian mission.
Visit redcross.org/philly for more information about how the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region helped people in Philadelphia and beyond in 2023.
Red Cross graphic: The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis.
September is Disaster Preparedness Month, and the American Red Cross is urging everyone to prepare for a national trend of worsening severe weather. In fact, as an organization, we have responded to nearly twice as many large disasters across the country as we did a decade ago.
As rapidly intensifying, weather-related events pose serious challenges to our humanitarian work and the people we serve, the Red Cross has announced an ambitious national plan to take urgent action. With more climate-driven disasters upending lives and devastating communities, we’re racing to adapt our services and grow our disaster response capacity across the country. At the same time, we’re funding new international programs on climate response and preparedness, as well as minimizing our own environmental footprint.
Locally in Southeastern Pennsylvania, we’re recruiting and training more Red Cross volunteers to respond both in our region and across the country. Currently, 11 of our local volunteers are deployed to assist people in Hawaii, Southern California, Washington and Florida, as well as virtually, and this summer, our volunteers have also helped people impacted by extreme weather in Guam, Texas, Vermont, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Arkansas.
For National Preparedness Month, you can individually take three lifesaving actions — get a kit, make a plan and be informed — to help protect yourself against local emergencies.Follow safety tips now at redcross.org/prepare. We also invite you to check our Red Cross Philly Blog throughout the month for a series of volunteer-written articles about specific preparedness topics.
Red Cross graphic — Actions we’re taking to address the climate crisis: enhancing large-scale disaster response services; strengthening local partnerships to mitigate health, hunger and housing challenges; growing our disaster teams to provide more relief; expanding our financial assistance programs.
ADAPTING TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS
In the first half of 2023 alone, the nation experienced an above-average 15 billion-dollar disasters. That’s all on top of extreme heat in communities across the U.S. — which have made July the country’s hottest single month on record. What’s more, the U.S. is just now entering its typical peak time for hurricanes and wildfires.
As extreme weather disasters increase, more people need help from the Red Cross in the U.S. As such, we’re taking bold and thoughtful actions to adapt our services and grow our capacity. For example, the Red Cross is:
Enhancing large-scale disaster response services by bolstering the aid provided in emergency shelters and extending casework support to help people with the most recovery needs.
Expanding financial assistance to help more families with unmet needs and bridge the gap between immediate disaster relief and long-term recovery assistance.
Strengthening local partner networks in targeted areas that face a high risk of extreme weather and existing societal inequities with a focus on increased access to health and mental health services, nutritious food and safe housing for local families.
Growing our disaster workforce to deepen disaster readiness. This includes fortifying the critical infrastructure and technology that enables 24/7 response to disasters across the country.
Red Cross graphic: New Tee, Sept. 1-18 – Give Blood, Give Hope.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER IMPACT THE NATIONAL BLOOD SUPPLY
The Red Cross has seen a significant shortfall in blood and platelet donations over the last month, making it hard to keep pace with the need for blood products. Blood and platelet donations that go uncollected due to climate-related events, such as hurricanes, wildfires and extreme heat, can put further strain on the national blood supply. As extreme weather events are worsening, the Red Cross is seeing that translate into more blood drive cancellations. In 2022, over 1,300 blood drives were canceled due to weather — about 23% higher than the average of the prior nine years.
In thanks for helping ensure the nation’s blood supply is prepared for all emergencies, from disasters to medical emergencies, all who come to give blood, platelets or plasma Sept. 1-18 will receive a limited-edition Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Those who come to give throughout September will also receive a coupon for a free haircut by email, thanks to Sport Clips Haircuts. Details are available at rcblood.org/racetogive. Donors can schedule an appointment to donate using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
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