Time to prepare for disasters
The Red Cross salutes the men and women who lent their physical and emotional strength, without concern for personal safety, to aid in the Sept. 11 relief operations, laboring hours on end to lend a hand and offer hope. We applaud our 55,575 volunteers dispatched from around the country who made a difference in countless lives. And we praise those who supported local blood supplies in communities nationwide. We are humbled that an unprecedented number of people publicly channeled their generous donations through the Red Cross. We are also honored that the people of our communities nationwide, including Fayette County, placed their trust and faith in us to help when and where it was needed most. With the help of the Herald-Standard, more than $66,000 was raised locally to assist in the relief effort in New York, Washington, D.C. and in our own backyard, Somerset County.
As the nation faces unprecedented challenges, it is imperative that community members take the time to support the work of those who are helping the nation recover and move forward, including Red Cross workers, the military, the government, families and each other during these uncertain times.
To keep our communities strong, people are being called into volunteer service. Fayette County residents can help make it safer by becoming Red Cross volunteers. Everyone should take advantage of the free disaster training available at the American Red Cross of Fayette County so that there are trained disaster responders available in every community.
The Red Cross is encouraging people to develop emergency response plans for their homes, workplaces and schools. There are things all of us can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as creating an emergency response plan for your family, making sure that your children’s caregivers have your contact information.
Ask your employer about the disaster plan for your workplace, assemble a home disaster kit, learn basic first aid and CPR and commit to donating blood at least twice a year.
The events of Sept. 11 have taught us many lessons and we are more prepared now – from working with other disaster relief agencies to standardized information to sending clear fundraising messages to the public.
While the magnitude of such an unprecedented disaster can never be measured, Americans’ generosity will always be remembered. The American Red Cross is profoundly grateful for the unwavering support of all those who help us – in times of unspeakable tragedy and daily in our communities.
Roberta Rutter Higinbotham
executive director
American Red Cross
of Fayette County
Nation needs a Truman
With the economy as it is, and the government trying to convince the public that we have pulled out of the most recent recession, the stock market continues to slide and businesses announce more layoffs, we are facing another major problem.
This country has become dependent on foreign imports to operate its factories and other businesses as we see the ships backing up at the docks on the West Coast.
This will soon cut into production and the supply of needed parts of companies who depend on receiving these supplies according to their timetable without having to maintain a backlog of inventory.
This nation has perhaps the most skilled workforce in the world and the government and big business has allowed it to slip through their fingers by promoting more free trade which the world has taken advantage of.
It started with the Clinton administration pushing NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and then GATT, the General Agreement on Trades and Tariffs. Now I believe we have Fast Track, which allows the whole world to dump their products on us.
Perhaps science should be permitted to clone Harry Truman and his staff, I think he could straighten it out.
William Amos
New Salem