The American Red Cross is operating shelters, serving meals and distributing disaster relief supplies in Texas after several powerful tornadoes hit the greater Dallas-Fort Worth April 3, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and leaving thousands without power.

About 150 people came to Red Cross shelters throughout the day Tuesday for help after the tornadoes struck. The Red Cross also provided 1,400 blankets for stranded travelers at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport where hundreds of flights were canceled and many aircraft were damaged by hail.

Red Cross disaster workers are teaming up with the Southern Baptist Convention and Salvation Army to see people get the help they need. Nine emergency response vehicles will be out in the affected areas today, distributing meals and disaster relief supplies. Red Cross teams will also be out assessing tornado damage to determine the level of help people will need in the days to come.

“Yesterday we had the uncertainty of not knowing what Mother Nature was doing on the other side of someone’s shelter,” said Red Cross spokesperson Anita Foster. “Today reality is setting in and our mental health workers will help people recover from the devastation.”

SAFETY STEPS The Red Cross reminds those affected that they should not return to their neighborhoods until authorities say it is safe to do so. Other safety steps include:

• Stay out of damaged buildings.
• Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts and sturdy shoes when examining homes for damage.
• Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately.
• Use battery-­powered flashlights when examining buildings—do NOT use candles.
• If someone notices a gas smell or hears a hissing noise, they should open a window and get everyone out of the building quickly. They should also call the gas company or fire department.
• Keep animals under control.
• Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.

April is historically a busy month for tornadoes in the United States. People can visit the preparedness section of the Red Cross website for more information about what to do if a tornado threatens.

HOW TO HELP People can help those affected by disasters like the tornadoes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Consider making a donation today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Contributions may also be sent to someone’s local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Contributions enable the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters.

There has not been increased need for blood products for the tornado victims in Texas. However, the Red Cross wants to remind individuals that it’s the blood already on the shelves that helps during emergencies. Every day 44,000 blood donations are needed to help trauma victims, surgical patients, burn victims, patients with blood disorders and many others. When disasters strike, this need may be even greater.

Potential blood donors must be 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and be in generally good health. People should bring their Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when they come to donate. Eligible donors can give whole blood every 56 days.

To schedule a donation time or get more information about giving blood or platelets, people can visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

The article Recovering After Tornadoes: Red Cross Helps Texas appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

It is possibly not yet a household name, but it is probable that the voice and the face are. Natalie Imbruglia appears on television, in cinemas, in advertising and on the radio and in concert. Last year, she was a judge on the Australian ‘X-Factor’; this year might be busier. Ms. Imbruglia will be the spokesmodel for  the jewelry company, Kailis, with both supporting The Salvation Army. She is also working on her fifth album, to be released next year.

Ms. Imbruglia writes much of her own pop music. Her first album, ‘Left of the Middle’ (1997), crammed her display-cabinet with over a dozen awards, particularly for its first single, ‘Torn.’ The album sold over 2 million copies, achieving ‘Platinum’ status. Her next two albums, ‘White Lilies Island,’ and ‘Counting Down the Days,’ each brought nominations and awards as well.

Her first starring role, in 2009’s ‘Closed for Winter,’ earned her a best-actress nomination at the Asian Festival of First Films. It was not such a long time acting from her early days in TV. By seventeen, she had landed a role in the Australian television-institution, ‘Neighbours.’ This is the same series that launched a few Australians, including Kylie Minogue, another model singing-actress (or acting model-singer?).

Ms. Imbruglia left the show and pursued a recording career, but she has returned to TV several times over the years. Some shows have featured Ms. Imbruglia’s acting, but even more have presented her music. Her songs have been performed in a number of films as well.

It was her supporting role in the comedy ‘Johnny English’ (2003), starring Rowan Atkinson, that has been her greatest film exposure in North America so far. The film received mixed reviews, although it performed well. Ms. Imbruglia’s performance and charisma were among the positive reviews. Not just another pretty face.

But Ms. Imbruglia certainly has a pretty face. She was a spokesmodel for L’Oréal for five years, and has appeared on TV and in print for such companies as The Gap. That pretty face also promotes charitable causes such as cancer-research campaigns, Oxfam, PETA and Make Poverty History. She will be working with Kailis over the next two years; one of the jewelry lines was designed with Ms. Imbruglia. Part of the proceeds will benefit The Salvation Army’s Oasis Youth Support Network.

It is very likely Natalie Imbruglia will continue to increase her following in both her music and her screen careers. After problems with her record labels, her album’s release next year will be hotly anticipated, as will her next acting role. She might need to expand her display-cabinet.

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Do you sometimes wish that you could do more for the environment but don’t know where to start? Maybe you’ve taken that first step by starting to recycle but with a hectic schedule you don’t think you have time to do anything else.

Luckily, there are several things you can do that are simple and don’t require a big investment of time and energy on the way to becoming green. Here’s a list of down-to-earth ways for you to reduce, reuse, and recycle your way to a more eco-conscience self:

1. Stop buying bottled water

Buying bottled water is both expensive and wasteful. Giving bottled water the boot will save money and help the environment. Bottled water creates 1.5 million tons of garbage yearly and although water bottles are recyclable, nearly 80 percent of these bottles aren’t recycled. If more people stop buying bottled water then fewer bottles will end up in landfills.

Two of the most popular bottled waters, Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coca-Cola’s Dasani, are sold along side soda in vending machines and cost about $1.00 per bottle. Both brands are sold in 24-ounce bottles and their websites state that their products are filtered and purified, municipally supplied water.

What does that mean exactly? Essentially, when you buy a bottle of water, you’re paying about $0.05 per ounce for filtered city water.

A better way to do water on-the-go is to buy a filtered water pitcher and each person in your home a reusable, dishwasher-safe water bottle. The Brita Bottle makes ditching bottled water easy: this reusable water bottle from Brita has a built in filter which allows you to filter water anywhere.

2. Switch to reusable cloth towels and napkins

Skipping paper towels and napkins in favor if a cloth alternative reduces garbage that would end up in landfills and saves natural resources. Stock up on cloth towels and napkins and store them in a drawer in your kitchen then pull them out when needed.

An easy way to determine the amount of cloth napkins you’ll need for your family and reduce your laundry pile is to assign each member of the family a different color napkin or a different color napkin ring and then wash their napkin only when it truly needs it or at the end of the week. Something Different Linen offers one-dozen, 20-inch square, cotton dinner napkins for $23.00 for sale at Amazon.com.

The retailer also sells smaller, 6-inch square napkins that would perfect for tucking inside of a child’s school lunchbox.

3. Start using reusable shopping bags

Cities across the globe are passing bans on plastic shopping bags. With tens of billions of plastic shopping bags ending up in landfills each year it’s no wonder. Even though these bags are recyclable only a very small percentage ever ends up being recycled.

The key to using reusable shopping bags is remembering them when going shopping. Stash reusable shopping bags in your car, your purse, jacket pockets or any place where you’re likely to look before heading into the store.

You’ll often be able to find reusable shopping bags for sale in your neighborhood grocery store however many stylish, inexpensive bags are available. Envirosax offer designer prints, have been tested for strength and safety, and are available different styles. The company’s Greengrocer Series bags will fit in the palm of your hand when rolled up and just under $9.00.

4. Reduce the amount of mail you receive

Let’s face it – not everything we get in the mail is important. More than one billion pieces of junk mail are delivered each year and in the United Statesalone the catalogs, sales flyers and credit card offers that clog mail boxes account for one-third of all the mail delivered in the world.

You can reduce the amount of junk mail you receive by contacting the biggest offenders directly or by visiting DMAChoice.org or Catalogchoice.org. Both companies add your name and address to junk mail and catalog “do not mail” lists.

Every year inAmerica, more than 350 million magazines are published and nearly 50 percent of those purchased end up not being recycled. An easy way to ease to minimize to lessen the burden on the environment is to contact magazines publishers and request that your subscription be converted to a digital format.

5. Reduce water consumption

A running water faucet uses about two to three gallons of water per minute and a running shower uses about five gallons of water per minute. Why is this important? Knowing how much water you’re using when you turn on the tap or step into the shower helps when trying to conserve water.

Conserving water allows more water to stay in reservoirs which helps to maintain ecosystems and preserve water for future use. You can start to lower your water usage by taking shorter showers. The average person showers for eight minutes, using approximately 40 gallons of water.

Cutting your shower time to five minutes or less will save at least 15 gallons of water which can add up to thousands of gallons per year for just one person.

Also consider turning off water faucets while you brush your teeth and shave. It takes practice to remember to turn the faucet on and off, but soon it will become second nature.

6. Clean out closets and donate unused items to charity

We live in a world that thrives on consumerism and it would be safe to assume that you, like many others, have items in your home that you no longer use. Are your closets bursting with unworn clothing? What about that set of golf clubs in your garage that you no longer use or all of the board games collecting dust in your hall closet?

Donating your unused items to charity gives them new life and placing clothing, games and other gently used items into the hands of someone else promotes reuse. It doesn’t make sense to throw away something that somebody else might be able to use.

Two charities that accept donations and help those in need are Goodwill Industries International, Inc. and The Salvation Army. Goods donated to be sold at Salvation Army Family Stores benefit the charity’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers which the organization’s website explains assists people with issues of “substance misuse, legal problems, relational conflicts, homelessness, unemployment, and, most importantly, a need for spiritual awakening and restoration.”

Donations sold in one of Goodwill International’s stores are put to use by offering, “job training, employment placement and other services to people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience, or face employment challenges.” Last year, Goodwill helped more than 2 million people train for careers.

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