Run for the Red Publix Georgia Marathon/Half/5K
7 a.m., March 23, Centennial Olympic Park, 265 Park Ave., Atlanta, 30313. www.redcross.org/redteam100.
As Hurricane Sandy bore down on southern New Jersey two years ago, more than 400,000 people, including many metro Atlantans, downloaded the American Red Cross Hurricane App, desperately trying to track the deadly storm and share alerts on social media sites.
By the time it was finally over, they had used the same app to find Red Cross shelters, food distribution sites and open gas stations, and to notify loved ones that they were safe.
Ten years ago, that sort of quick click-of-a-button dissemination of information would have been impossible, said Terri Badour-Duckett, CEO of both the American Red Cross of Georgia and the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter.
A lot can change in a 100 years, though. Leveraging technology to adapt and calibrate response efforts is one of many improvements Badour-Duckett has witnessed since landing her first job at the Red Cross 27 years ago.
“Today our Web presence and social media allow us an avenue to not only enable people who want to help during times of disaster but identify the people and places who need help,” Badour-Duckett said. “That’s been an incredible advance.”
Still, as the organization prepared recently to kick off its 100-day centennial celebration, Badour-Duckett said one thing has remained constant: the Red Cross mission to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.
“Our core mission is the same as it was 100 years ago when Atlanta’s Red Cross was founded in 1914,” Badour-Duckett said. “We’ve always been about being there to help people during times of crisis and emergencies.”
When she first landed a job with the agency in 1986, Badour-Duckett had just completed her master’s degree at Florida State University. The Internet was a mere baby and volunteers drove or, in some cases, walked disaster scenes, collecting information by hand on “street sheets,” then submitted the paperwork before the relief operation headquarters could determine what was needed and where.
Volunteers still collect information but technological advances like the Rapid Data Management System and Safe and Well programs have made a world of difference in how quickly they are able to do it. Both systems are now considered standard operating procedures for disaster relief.
The Red Cross rolled-out the new Rapid Data technology for the first time during the metro Atlanta floods of 2009 to help speed relief to people in need. Using a handheld device, local disaster volunteers Don and Ruth Krohn could assess, map, upload and report disaster damage in a fraction of the time it once took using paper forms.
The Safe and Well website, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and accessible in both English and Spanish, offers similar benefits and is easy to use. Disaster victims can simply click “List Myself as Safe and Well,” enter their pre-disaster address and phone number, and select any of the standard message options. Concerned about a loved one? Click “Search Registrants” and enter the person’s name and pre-disaster phone number or address. If they have registered, any messages they have posted can be viewed.
Today, not only has the way the organization responds to disasters changed, Badour-Duckett said, but the kinds of disasters it responds to have also changed.
For instance, Badour-Duckett said the Red Cross used to respond only to natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. More and more, however, the organization is handling man-made tragedies such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, the recent Boston marathon explosion, and closer to home, the 1999 mass shooting in Buckhead.
But the biggest change, perhaps, has been electronic. The Red Cross is one of the leading non-profits with a Web and social media presence, Badour-Duckett said.
During large-scale disasters such as Sandy, national volunteers monitor Facebook and Twitter to identify pockets of need, coordinate food delivery and answer calls for help. In the month following the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, text-messaging provided an immediate way for the public to channel its compassion into action.
By texting the word “Haiti” to 90999, cellphone users were able to make $10 donations, up to two or three times depending on the carrier, to support relief efforts. The “Text Haiti to 90999” tagline became a rallying cry for the public and raised $32 million.
Badour-Duckett, who headed Red Cross fund-raising efforts as chief development officer before becoming CEO of the Georgia region in 2011, said social media has also provided the agency a way to publicly thank the community for its generosity, which is the centerpiece of this year’s centennial celebration.
“So many people have contributed so much time and talent to get us where we are,” she said. “They created the legacy and foundation we’re built on, so we want to use this occasion to thank them and invite them to continue their support for the next 100 years,” she said. “It’s the community that will make our work possible.”
About the Author
