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A new version of the American Red Cross Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies App is now available to help save lives through gaming. Children between the ages of 7 and 11 learn ways to prepare and stay safe in home fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other disasters by role-playing as different monster characters.

“The Monster Guard App provides a fun, gaming environment for youth to learn about fire prevention and what to do if a fire or other disaster occurs,” said Myisha Aban, Youth Services Specialist, American Red Cross. “The intent is to empower children with knowledge and have them discuss what they’ve learned with family and household members.”

Set in the ‘Monster Guard Academy,’ children earn points as they identify hazards, locate a safe room in the house, and select items for their emergency supplies kit. They earn gold, silver or bronze medals based on the number of points they score. Star multipliers located throughout the episodes allow them to bump their scores even higher. If a player completes all the episodes, he or she will graduate and become a member of the ‘Monster Guard.’

Available for tablets and other mobile devices, the new version of the app runs on iOS 7 and above. The previous version runs on Android OS 4x and up. People can text ‘MONSTER’ to 90999 and receive a direct link to download the app or go to redcross.org/monsterguard. Children should ask a parent or guardian for permission to download the app

Youth Preparedness Initiative

Monster Guard is a complement to The Pillowcase Project, a free Red Cross youth preparedness program designed to increase children’s awareness and understanding of natural hazards and reduce their fears. Participants learn safety and emotional coping skills, along with personal emergency preparedness skills. Information on The Pillowcase Project is available at redcross.org/prepare. The Monster Guard App and The Pillowcase Project are both sponsored by Disney.

The app and The Pillowcase Project are also key components of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign to reduce deaths and injuries from home fires by as much as 25 percent over the next five years. The campaign focuses on increasing the use of smoke alarms in neighborhoods with high numbers of home fires and encouraging everyone to practice their fire escape plans.

About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

By Marlene Stamper, Public Affairs Volunteer

Bryan Arellanos is a soft-spoken 16-year-old who attends Tokay High School in Lodi, CA. He loves race cars, video games, and above all else, Bryan Arellanos, loves his family. He bravely demonstrated his love on December 31, 2015. On that day, Bryan suffered second degree burns over much of his body while getting his brother and sister to safety as their home went up in flames.

Baryan and his brother Christopher, 14, who Bryan describes as a “special ed child” were up early. They were playing video games in the living room of their home while Bryan’s sister, nine-year-old Betsey, was fast asleep in her bedroom. Their mother was at work. This was a normal day for the family, until the thing that we never expect, happened: a home fire.

Around 7:30 AM, Bryan took a break from the video games and left the living room for a few minutes, leaving his brother on his own. When Bryan returned, the family Christmas tree was engulfed in flames. Bryan ran to get a bucket of water in an attempt to douse out the fire, but it was too late. By the time he returned with the water, Bryan says, “fire was everywhere.” Christopher had run to find safety in their mother’s bedroom.

Bryan knew he had to get his brother and sister out immediately. The flames were traveling fast. And Betsey was still sound asleep in her room, unaware of what was happening. Bryan ran to her room , woke her up, and pushed her out the bedroom window. She was scared and confused and started to cry. Bryan told her not to cry. It would be okay. Then he went to find Christopher.

By now, Bryan’s arms were burning. Bryan said, “The fire was everywhere, on the couch, the ceiling, the floor, and a lot of smoke. I couldn’t see. My eyes were burning. I was coughing so bad…” But, Bryan pressed on. He found Christopher still in their mother’s room. He was safe. Bryan had to get him out. They couldn’t make it through the fire in the living room. So Bryan knocked out the bedroom window screen and pushed his brother through. At this point, there was nothing more Bryan could do. Betsey and Christopher were safe and unharmed. But, Bryan was not so lucky.

Bryan ’s arms, back, and neck were burned. He remembers the medics giving him medication for the pain and getting help at the hospital. He says the doctors gave him something to put him to sleep so they could take care of his burns. When he woke up, his mom and dad were near his bed. They were crying. But Baryan didn’t want them to be sad. He said he doesn’t like to see his family cry. Baryan grabbed his dad’s hand and said, “Don’t cry, I’ll be okay.”

Bryan misses Betsey and Christopher. And they miss him. So recently, it was a very special day when they  visited him in the hospital. They talked and teased and hugged and kissed. Bryan ’s parents visit him often. He asked his mom to bring him a Bible which he reads from everyday. Bryan says he prays to get better and every day he is a little better. And he says his mom kisses him on the head every night because that always helps him feel better.

Bryan ’s family is grateful that he was able to save Betsey and Christopher. And, Bryan is happy that his brother and sister are safe because as he says, “they still have a long life to live.” Bryan isn’t sure when he will leave the hospital, but he looks forward to going back to school, seeing his friends, and most of all, being with his family.

Baryan’s family’s home, and almost everything in it, was totally destroyed by the fire. The American Red Cross is providing the family’s immediate emergency needs, such as lodging, food, and clothing to help them through this very difficult time.

A week of chaotic weather continued throughout the United States as a storm system that created deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and Southwest pushed north. More than 40 people have died of weather-related causes during the Christmas holidays in the past week.

Video taken from helicopters by local media showed homes in Missouri with water almost to roof level.

Here in California, we have had some rain, but we know the best is yet to come. What El Niño could bring is almost like a ticking bomb.

We celebrate the New Year in the next few days as many parts of the country brace for severe weather.  Please share the following messages Be Safe with the following precautions.

1. Download the Red Cross free Emergency App (winter storms preparedness module) and the First Aid App (hypothermia preparedness module), or other emergencies, as applicable.

2. Take the Appropriate Steps to Stay Safe on the Road with these steps:  Highway Safety | Car & Road Travel Safety Tips | American Red Cross

And Most Importantly: Prepare for the Unexpected

• Carry a Disaster Supplies Kit in your trunk.
• Pack high protein snacks, water, First Aid kit, flashlight, small battery-operated radio, an emergency contact card with names and phone numbers, extra prescription medications and important documents or information you may need.
• Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive. If your car gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• Find out what disasters may occur in the place where you are traveling, especially if they are disasters you have never experienced before. Find out how you would get information in the event of a disaster (local radio systems, emergency alert systems).
• Pay attention to the weather forecast for your destination. Travel and weather web sites can help you avoid storms and other regional challenges that could impact your safety.
• Don’t let your vehicle’s gas tank get too low.

3. Regardless of the severity of a winter storm, you should be prepared in order to remain safe during these events:  Winter Storm Preparedness | Winter Safety Tips | Red Cross

Caution: Carbon Monoxide Kills

• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any partially enclosed area. Locate unit away from doors, windows and vents that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
• The primary hazards to avoid when using alternate sources for electricity, heating or cooking are carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock and fire.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms in central locations on every level of your home and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.
• If the carbon monoxide alarm sounds, move quickly to a fresh air location outdoors or by an open window or door.
• Call for help from the fresh air location and remain there until emergency personnel arrive to assist you.

Best Wishes to all of you and as always stay safe.

Dearest Supporters,

Today is your chance to DOUBLE the difference you can make to help save a life, and to be there when a family has nowhere else to turn.

We’re thrilled to announce a special limited-time offer. Thanks to a generous $50,000 gift from a donor in Cincinnati, every donation made to the Red Cross by midnight will be MATCHED dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000! Please renew your support now and your lifesaving gift will go twice as far >>

It’s not just about this one special day. It’s about people who live just down the street from you and others you might never meet. Distraught families, injured service members and children in need of help from the Red Cross. These are the kinds of people you’ll help with just one gift to the Red Cross.

Thanks to this generous matching gift offer, this is your chance to DOUBLE the difference you can make to help save a life and to be there when a family has nowhere else to turn.

Help make a difference in someone’s life today. Please renew your support BY MIDNIGHT – and your gift today will be MATCHED dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000!

When disaster strikes, people see their world change in an instant. Whether the emergency situation is a fire in someone’s home or a flood impacting an entire community, the people affected have the same questions.

• We can’t live in our home. Where will we stay?
• How will we eat?
• Our clothes are gone. What will we wear?

Those affected need answers quickly, and the American Red Cross is there.

Every eight minutes in this country, the Red Cross responds to a disaster, providing food, shelter and comfort. In some situations, we also provide direct financial support to people who need food, clothing, or help in securing a place to stay. The Red Cross is there to meet emergency needs for people who may not have anywhere else to turn for help.

To improve Red Cross services and efficiency, the qualifications and process for people receiving disaster financial assistance were recently simplified to center around three core questions – is the family home livable, is there a place for them to stay, and how many people are included in the family.

In as little as 30 minutes, a Red Cross caseworker can determine a family’s needs and provide them with a prepaid card that can be used at all merchants that accept MasterCard. The new system has several benefits for those needing help and is more effective in ensuring a family’s safety and comfort in the immediate hours following a disaster such as a home fire; whereas the previous system involved more questions from caseworkers, more paperwork and assistance only for specific categories.

“After someone experiences a house fire, the last thing they need to do is fill out a lot of forms and answer dozens of questions,” said Corey Eide, director, Disaster Recovery for the Red Cross. “These recent improvements enable our volunteers to quickly identify a family’s needs and provide a meaningful amount of assistance. People can use this assistance to buy food for their children or get a couple of nights stay in a hotel while they figure out what’s next. And they can be confident that a caseworker will follow up with them in 72 hours to see how they’re doing and offer local partner and government referrals.”

Another benefit of the redesigned program is consistency. The current system ensures people receive assistance on a prepaid MasterCard, where previously some of the assistance was provided on vouchers that could only be used at a select number of merchants. The new program ensures that the people who turn to the Red Cross for help receive consistent and standard help for similar events regardless of where they live.

HELPING DISASTER VICTIMS IN 2015

In addition to responding to numerous home fires in 2015, Red Cross disaster workers answered the call to help during more than 170 larger disaster operations across the country.

During 2015, Red Crossers have provided casework support to more than 278,000 people, and given financial assistance to more than 81,000 households (data as of December 1st).

On average, the Red Cross standard program provides about $600 per family. This financial assistance can help with food, shelter, clothing, health services, repairs to their home or repairing or replacing appliances.

For example, this assistance could include $50 per person if they can return home within a day or two; $125 per person if they cannot go home or there will be a significant delay; lodging assistance appropriate to the local market rate; up to $500 per person for health and mental health assistance, and as much as $300 to meet additional recovery needs when there is a significant gap in recovery. In extreme cases, the Red Cross can provide further financial assistance.

Red Cross caseworkers also provide one-on-one support for the disaster victim, refer them to other community partners who can help, help them plan their recovery and advocate for them with an insurance company.

For more information on Red Cross disaster relief and the help provided to hundreds of thousands of people every year, visit redcross.org.

Footnote: During fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015) the Red Cross opened approximately 76,300 cases providing financial assistance to households effected by local disasters, the vast majority of these were home fires.