Graphic from the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross launched a campaign this fall aimed at businesses called the “Red Cross Ready Rating Program“. It is designed to help businesses with their preparedness and emergency disaster planning.
The Ready Rating Program is free to join and provides a checklist to help business owners see how ready they really are for the unthinkable by providing a score that measures their preparedness. The goal is for businesses to reevaluate themselves on a yearly basis and improve upon their previous readiness score.
The American Red Cross states:
“Ready Rating also encourages businesses…to promote personal preparedness efforts among employees…and families. A recent Red Cross survey showed that 51 percent of Americans have experienced at least one emergency situation where they lost utilities for at least three days, had to evacuate, could not return home or communicate with family members or had to provide first aid to others. Although 89 percent of those surveyed believe it is important to be prepared for emergencies, far fewer are actually taking the steps necessary to prepare.”
The Red Cross Ready Rating Program has centers throughout New York to provide guidance and resources to businesses. Information on how to best use the assessment tools can be found on the Red Cross in Greater New York site.
