Technology down!

Last night, about 12:30am, my 16 year old woke me up in a panic. It scared me… Not only was I sound asleep, but my son never does that… It must have been an emergency, right? Well not really, the Internet was down and it interrupted his Xbox game. Oh the horror!

I had been working most of the night since we had tornado warnings in the southern counties of our region. Thirty minutes earlier there was no problem at all. Maybe my hours of incessant use stressed it out? After dinking with cords and trying to remember if I had paid the bill, we went to bed feeling defeated. The Internet was in fact not working, and our technology was officially down for the count.

This morning I woke up to find the same sad situation. We are a web house… iPad, Kindles, phones, Xbox, Internet TV, so needless to day, it’s absence was felt deeply. After a call to my provider, I found out there was an outage in my area, and even though they knew about it, they had no idea what the resolution was or when it would be fixed. Ugh.

We muttled through the day, and I am embarrassed to say there was a lot of complaining and whining from all of us, especially me. But finally around 10pm, we had three green lights on the DSL box thingie indicating that the technology crisis had been averted. Sweet! My son is now on his Xbox and I am obviously tapping away on my iPad.

I caught up on Facebook and twitter to see what I missed in the aftermath of a confirmed tornado in Sangamon county and after the same storm damaged areas of Macon county last night. As I was scrolling, I came across a status from one of our Red Crossers in Macon county. He talked about the damage in his neighborhood and how his power had just been restored after being without for almost 20hrs. I checked my email and saw that there were many families in those communities without power and, in some cases, without their homes. Then I went online to finally stream the national news, and I saw the images of Oklahoma from last night’s tornado. So much destruction and many heartbreaking stories about the loss of life. Then all at once, I had an “ah ha” moment followed by a mortifying one.

Here I sit in my home with power, my cat and the people I love. Many people just a hour south of me and in Oklahoma can’t say the same. They are facing far more difficult situations than I have today, and yet I spent my entire day bellyaching like a selfish brat. Talk about a humbling moment.

So, what did I do? I picked up my phone and texted “REDCROSS” to 90999 and made a $10 donation to Red Cross disaster relief. Sure, it might be a little silly, but it is one small way I could do something to help people that truly need it. And you know what? I felt pretty darned good.

A Phone Call Away

Volunteers sat by the phones last Thursday night and Friday morning waiting for generous donations.  Individuals that wanted to donate money to the Red Cross to help out victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado disaster called in to the Red Cross Telethon.  The telethon spanned over these two days for a total of two and a half hours.

In those two and half hours, the phones rang 179 times.  Through the generous donations of all the individuals, the Red Cross of Central Illinois, was able to raise $10,355 that will go to Moore, Oklahoma.  The Red Cross thanks everyone involved for their support and contributions.

Even though I am not a morning person, it was my pleasure to be one of the volunteers working the telethon on Friday morning.  It was a humbling experience to see the amount of people that wanted to help out these families and friends that got hit by the devastating tornado. Every bit of money that was raised, will help and that’s what is so important.  No matter if someone gave $100 or $10 that means a lot to the people devastated and especially the people associated with the Red Cross.

People always say that you can not predict a crisis and that is a true statement.  However, it’s the preparation for these crises or disasters that means the world.  The Red Cross with the Disaster Prevention and Disaster Response programs was on call and prepared.  When this tornado hit, the Red Cross was there to help and they will continue to help in all ways possible.

Take care of you

The events that happened in Moore, Oklahoma are beyond tragic. Multiple deaths (many children), widespread devastation and demolished homes. Many lost everything… Their home, their place of work, and even a family member. What they are going through is just unimaginable.

As I sit here in my home in Illinois, I find myself deeply saddened. I haven’t lost what many have in Oklahoma, but watching the images on TV, the Internet and twitter make me feel a combination of guilt and grief. As a mom and a Red Crosser, I think about the emptiness many parents feel tonight since their child is gone, and I can’t help but think what the Red Cross people on the scene are seeing.

All day and night I have been keeping up to date on what the news headlines are. Not only is it my job to stay in the know, but it is also just hard to look away. About a hour ago, my boyfriend came up and took my iPad away and simply said, “Baby, take a break from the disaster”. After I almost belted him for taking away my technology, I paused and realized he was right.

So if you are like me and find yourself glued to the news broadcasts, you may want to take a little advice from the ARC…

-Limit your exposure to the sights and sounds of disaster, especially on television, the radio and in the newspapers.
-Eat healthy. During times of stress, it is important that you maintain a balanced diet and drink plenty of water.
-Get some rest. Giving your body and mind a break can boost your ability to cope with the concern and worry you may be experiencing.
-Stay connected with family and friends. Giving and getting support is one of the most important things you can do. Try to do something as a family that you have all enjoyed in the past.
-Take special care of children. With schools affected, it may be very scary for children. Encourage them to talk with you about how they feel.
-Stay positive. Instead of worrying about what may happen next, take a little time to prepare yourself for disasters like building a disaster kit or downloading the free Red Cross tornado app.

I am sure you are wondering how I am typing this without technology, well I might have stole the iPad back but I do plan to practice what I am preaching. I will be turning off the iPad as soon as I post this, and you should, too. Take a break from your technology and take care of you.

The Red Cross is working around the clock to help in Oklahoma. Shelters are open, volunteers are assisting, food and water are being provided and 30 Emergency Response vehicles are there or on their way. If you would like to help, please support Red Cross disaster relief by visiting redcross.org/donate, calling 1-800-REDCROSS or texting “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.