At a joint press conference Friday, December 1st, the Upstate South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross in partnership with Duke Energy and Lowe's stores, launched a significant educational and preparedness campaign to move Upstate South Carolinians toward greater personal preparedness.
The "Be Ready" Project, funded by a generous grant from the Duke Energy Foundation, is designed to raise awareness on the part of Upstate residents to the fact that disasters of any nature can and do strike the Upstate. Once residents are aware, they must take action by building an emergency supplies kit for themselves and each member of their household.
Many residents in Greenville and Spartanburg Counties will receive a card containing a refrigerator magnet with the top 10 essential emergency supplies and information that Duke Energy wants customers to know should the power go out. Residents can then redeem the card at participating Lowe's stores for a free Be Ready backpack. While at Lowe's, residents can fill the bag with batteries, flashlights, a radio, and other supplies they need to be better prepared.
A recent study showed that Americans are not moving toward greater personal preparedness even after seeing the horrific events of September 11, 2001, the five hurricanes that devastated Florida in 2004, and Hurricane Katrina last year. Right here at home, we experienced a severe ice storm last December. Many Upstate residents were caught off guard and depended on organizations to get them through.
The objective of this campaign is to equip people with the tools they need to better survive a disaster on their own for up to 72 hours, ideally. If you would like information on how you can be better prepared, call the Upstate South Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross at (864) 271-8222.
