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14 - The Oakville Beaver, F riday M a y 12, 2006 Be prepared in case of emergency The Red Cross is reminding local resi dents to get ready now for future disasters as part of Emergency Preparedness Week, which wraps up Saturday. The humanitarian organization encourages everyone to ask themselves questions like what they would do if they were driven from their home by a fire or tornado and were unable to return for hours, days or even weeks. "By asking some tough questions now and taking time to review emergency plans, people can avoid being caught off guard if and when disaster strikes," said Azima Vadsaria, Red Cross disaster man agement co-ordinator. When a disaster occurs, the Red Cross works with governments, emergency response personnel and community agen cies to help the people affected by providing food, shelter, clothing, and personal needs. "Disasters come in all shapes and sizes, but regardless of the scale, they are equally devastating to those affected," said Vadsaria. "The good news is that everyone has the power to minimize the effect of dis aster on their family and community by being ade quately prepared." The Red Cross suggests the following checklist to help people prepare a homg survival kit including: a flashlight and batteries; radio and batteries (or a wind up radio); toilet paper and personal supplies; impor tant papers such as ID and personal documents; canned food and bottled water, along with a manual can opener; one change of clothing and shoes; blan kets or sleeping bags; extra car keys and cash; a whis tle to attract attention; a first aid kit; and, medication. It also recommends changing the food and batter ies in the survival kit once a year. "The entire family should be aware of the location of your home survival kit," said Vadsaria. "It can be taken with you if you are forced to evacuate your home, or it can provide vital supplies if heat or elec tricity are lost." The Red Cross responds to thousands of disasters each year ranging from house fires to floods and tor nadoes. The organization counts on public donations and the commitment of thousands of volunteers to be there when Canadians are affected by disaster. To leam more about volunteer opportunities or to make a donation visit www.fedcross.ca. SOMETHING DIFFERENT D Q TMCakes. Because life is full of every day celebrations Valid until Monday, "May 19th 2006 O ak Park Plaza (Trafalgar/Dundas) * Any DQ" Cate 8" or Larger 9 0 5 -2 5 7 -4 4 4 1 | T h isc o u p o nisn o tre d e e m a b lew itha n yo th e ro ffe ro rsp e c ia lo ffe r. ^ S a le sta xifa n yise x tra .O n ec o u p o np e rc u sto m e r,p e rv is it. ^ Rotherglen School is a warm and vibrant learning environm ent providing a quality education to students in Casa to Grade 8. Our Oakville Elem entary Campus offers a Grade 1 to Grade 3 program th a t is firmly rooted in Montessori principles. This program provides a solid foundation for our dynamic Grade 4 to 8 program which transitions into a more traditional style of learning. R o th erg len School O a k v ille E le m e n ta ry Cam pus 2050 N eyagaw a B o u levard O a k v ille , O N 9 0 5 -8 4 9 -1 8 9 7 w w w .r o th e r g le n .c o m