Safe and Well

Residents in Central United States Urged to Register with Safe and Well

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 — As rising floodwaters continue to destroy homes and threaten communities across much of the Midwest and West Virginia, the American Red Cross urges affected residents to register themselves and their loved ones on the Safe and Well website. In the past 24 hours, more than 31 individuals have registered, allowing family and friends around the country to know of their status. Disasters often make it difficult to stay in touch with loved ones but Safe and Well is an easy way to assist people seeking to locate those who’ve registered their status during emergencies.

Once an individual registers on Safe and Well, loved ones across the country can search the site and read messages. As residents of five states continue to feel the full impact of the recent tornadoes, severe storms and flooding – in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wisconsin – registering on Safe and Well can bring great peace of mind to people trying to contact them.

“At the American Red Cross we want to make difficult situations like this a little bit easier by giving families and friends a resource to get this important information,” said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Disaster Services. “Knowing that those we care about are safe is a relief that allows people to focus on what to do next.”

The Safe and Well website is easy to use:

1. Visit RedCross.org, and click on the Safe and Well link
2. If you are currently being affected by these disasters, click: “List Myself as Safe and Well”, enter your pre-disaster address and phone number, and select any of the standard message options
3. If you are concerned about a loved one, click “Search” and enter the person’s name and pre-disaster phone number OR address. If they have registered, you will be able to view the messages that they posted.
4. If you don’t have internet access, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to register yourself and your family. Follow the prompts for disaster information.

Safe and Well is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is accessible in both English and Spanish.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like floods and tornadoes by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.