Did you know March is Red Cross Month?

"On February 27, 2009, President Barack Obama, Honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross, signed a Presidential Proclamation marking March 2009 as "Red Cross Month" encouraging all Americans to support this humanitarian organization."

The proclamation can be found at the following White House website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/American-Red-Cross-Month-2009/

To get more information on how you can get involved, including training, volunteering, donations (money or blood), read the complete story at:

http://www.redcrossnca.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=201:march-is-red-cross-month&catid=56:community-services&Itemid=72

American Red Cross of The National Capital Area Assists With The 2009 56th Presidential Inauguration

The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area has a very unique role in this community and country in that we partner with government agencies, non-profit partners and private organizations in supporting major events such as the inauguration. The DC Government requested the Red Cross' assistance to serve in a public safety capacity for the 2009 56th Presidential Inauguration. The Red Cross does not endorse political parties or candidates, however we maintain our mission in helping people regardless of their political, religious or cultural background. American Red Cross has a long-standing history partnering with public safety officials during large-scale events, and has been supporting presidential inaugurations since 1909.

For the Presidential Inauguration activities, the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area is leading and coordinating the involvement of the four other Red Cross chapters in the National Capital Region.

The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area serves as the Regional Chapter for the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region, which consists of five Red Cross chapters in Alexandria, Arlington County, Loudoun County, Prince William and the National Capital Area, which includes District of Columbia, Montgomery County, Prince George's County and cities of Fairfax and Falls Church.

Visit our website for the latest news, visitor resources and learn more about how the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region is assisting with the 2009 56th Presidential Inauguration: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.redcrossnca.org%2FEvents%2FInauguration.php

Volunteer Recognition - Can't Purchase This SIGNED Item In Stores

Are you looking for a unique way to recognize your volunteers?

Consider purchasing the

Barack Obama Inauguration Waterford Crystal Paperweight.

Available in dome (as pictured).

This item is not available on the Waterford website. Only a limited number of this item are being produced and have been shipped directly from Ireland.

This item is signed by Jim O'Leary, Waterford Design Director.

Jim began his four-decade career at Waterford Crystal as a cutter and rapidly attained Master Craftsman status. After a five-year stint in the Design Studio, he ascended to his current position as its director. Jim retains the skilled craftsman's dedication to the crystal arts, from blowing and cutting to sculpting and polishing.

Only a limited number of signed items are available.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross.

For additional information, including pricing, please email neighborshelpingneighbors@live.com

What a great way to recognize your volunteers...

and have a piece of history!!!

Flight Advisory National Special Security Event 2009 Presidential Inauguration

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) have issued the following Public Advisory for Inauguration.

"As a result of the planned 2009 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009, the FAA at the request of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense as part of the airspace security measures will be modifying the Washington Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and Washington Metropolitan Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ) with additional flight restrictions between the hours of 1000-1800 local."

The impacted zone is as follows:

For complete details and additional information on the advisory, please visit:

www.faa.gov/news/media/public_advisory_inauguration_2009.pdf

For additional advisories and Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs), please visit:

https://pilotweb.nas.faa.gov/distribution/atcscc.html

Ready to Resolve in 2009

Recently, we received an email from Ready.gov about their new campaign.

"As the New Year approaches, the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready Campaign is once again reminding people that Now’s the Time. Resolve to be Ready in 2009."

At the time of this posting, it was not easy to find additional details of this campaign on Ready.gov. The direct link can be found at http://www.ready.gov/america/about/resolve2009.html

Take a few minutes and check it out. And resolve to be ready!

Ready Travel - Concept for National Preparedness Month 2009

Dear Erin Streeter, Director, Ready.gov, U.S. Department of Homeland Security,

As we prepare for National Preparedness Month 2008, I would like to propose a concept and/or theme to be incorporated into National Preparedness Month 2009 - "Ready Travel".

There are many Americans who travel domestically and internationally, both on business and vacation.

But why is "Ready Travel" important?

For example, if there is a conference in Washington DC and people attend from California, will they get an emergency alert if the city needs to evacuate, should I shelter in place, etc.?

In addition, many of the alerting systems in the United States require people to register. If I live in Virginia, but work in DC occasionally or attend a conference there, should I and do I register for both systems? What if I also sometimes go to a college or school campus, as they often have different alert systems? This brings up another issue about location based alerting systems.

Last month, when I was speaking at the World Conference on Disaster Management in Toronto, it was raining pretty hard outside. After I spoke, I was talking to the people from a local emergency management group about how I received an alert back in Fairfax, VA, but if there was an alert in Toronto, I would not know. Would you believe, there was a similar alert going on in Toronto at the same time? Most people at the conference had no idea. I decided to ask the hotel if there were any alerts and they said they were not aware of any.

These examples highlight the need for increased "Ready"ness for travel. Those traveling outside their local cities within the United States, but also those from the United States traveling internationally. As well as, those from other countries visiting the United States.

As you are aware, I maintain a blog "Neighbors Helping Neighbors"
(http://citizencorps.blogspot.com/). Through the website, we share best practices and lessons learned both within the United States and internationally. It is clear there are many documents and resources available in the United States.

You may also want to take a look at these resources out of the United Kingdom. http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-living-overseas/publications



PS. Hi Erin :-)