P.J. Albro This is Me

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1. 1. Ludington Daily News

   www.ludingtondailynews.com/new - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/21/2004   Last Visited: 6/22/2004

   P.J. Albro, director of the West Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross, said she was planning a spaghetti dinner for 250 volunteers Sunday night. The Red Cross provided "canteening" services Saturday night for volunteers, offering a variety of liquid refreshments and what was left of the morning doughnuts from local Wesco stations. On Sunday, Albro said they fed about 200 people lunch consisting of hot dogs, chicken and fruit.

2. 2. Ludington Daily News

   www.ludingtondailynews.com/new - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/30/2003   Last Visited: 5/31/2003

   But being prepared is something we should consider on a daily basis, not just when the terror threat is high, said P.J. Albro, director of the West Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross.
   
   Albro said common sense should be a guide to how prepared individuals or families want to be, but, in general, everyone should at least have a family plan with emergency contacts out of the area in case a regional disaster occurs.
   
   Albro pointed out an occurrence last year when two scrubber towers partially collapsed at the Tondu Energy Systems plant in Manistee. In that case, she said, if a third tower had been compromised it would have released an irritant that could have caused harm to nearby residents.
   
   "People were told to ‘shelter-in-place'," Albro said. However, most people are not prepared for sheltering-in-place, which is a process of sealing up a home by closing windows and doors, turning off ventilation systems, and using duct tape to seal all cracks around doors and vents.
   
   In that case there turned out to be no threat to the public, but Albro said if there had been, many people would not have been prepared.
   
   "That's an everyday occurrence, that's not terrorists," she said. The complacency of so many people in the Mason County area concerns her, she said, because tragedies can happen anywhere, any time.
   
   She said she hears too many residents here say they don't feel threatened in quiet, rural Mason County.
   
   To help citizens make a plan and be prepared, the Red Cross hands out brochures titled "5 Actions for Emergency Preparedness." In it, the brochures give tips like plan ahead for a calmer response to disaster, build a disaster kit with household supplies and a battery-operated radio, get trained in first aid and CPR, volunteer to help in your community, and give blood. More tips can be found on the Red Cross Web site at http://www.redcross.org/, and brochures are available at the local Red Cross office. In addition to potentially saving a life or preventing injury, having an emergency plan can alleviate some anxiety about a disaster occurring, Albro said. "If you're prepared, you don't have that anxiety," she said.

3. 3. Ludington Daily News

   www.ludingtondailynews.com/new - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/25/2003   Last Visited: 1/27/2003

   P.J. Albro, executive director of the West Shore Chapter, American Red Cross, said that the chapter doubled its Armed Forces Emergency Services volunteer caseworkers several months ago in anticipation of the impending conflict.
   
   The chapter serves families in Mason, Manistee and Lake counties.
   
   ?We added three caseworkers, bringing our total to six,? Albro said.
   
   Albro also said the chapter encourages family members to carry certain information about the military person in their wallets so they have it readily accessible wherever they go.
   
   ?You never know when you might need it,? she explained.
   
   Information that is needed for emergency communications to be forwarded to the military personnel includes the service person's last known military address, rank, branch of service, Social Security number and what their job in the military is, if known.
   
   ?The Red Cross helps families with communications and this is becoming even more important now with the impending conflict,? Albro stated.
   
   Even though many people have access to e-mail and cell phones, the Red Cross still serves as the official verification source to the military for it to decide whether to grant or deny emergency leaves, Albro explained.
   
   The military communications service offered by the Red Cross is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. During business hours, people may call 757-3069; after hours they may call the pager number, (616) 332-0268.
   
   The Associated Press contributed to this story.