AMERICAN RED CROSS LAUNCHES NEW MONTEREY BAY AREA CHAPTER

In an effort to provide enhanced service to the residents of the Monterey Bay Area, the Carmel and Monterey-San Benito Area Chapters of the American Red Cross will merge effective September 1, 2009 to create the American Red Cross, Monterey Bay Area Chapter. This newly formed Chapter will also work closely with the Santa Cruz County Chapter with the goal of consolidating functions across the three Counties to facilitate quality service delivery for these communities.

Loma Preita, 20 years later

I wasn’t here in 1989. In fact, I was 2200 miles away from here. I was also far too preoccupied with My Little Ponies to watch the national news or the World Series (I was 8). Hence, I didn’t even know that it had happened. But in October of 1989, this town that I’ve come to call home was shaken to its very core.

Swine Flu information and resources

Everyone at the Red Cross knows that the best way to keep your anxiety in check about emergencies is to be prepared for an emergency. And with all of the media-hype surrounding the outbreak of Swine Flu, you might need something to bring your nerves back to ground level.

Heroes: You have them, We want them.

Please help us honor our local heroes! Each year the Santa Cruz County Chapter calls for the community to nominate their heroes for our Annual Heroes Breakfast Awards. We are currently accepting nominations (ONLINE! ) and the deadline for nominations is April 10. Please share your hero’s story with us!

Another Dry Year?

While the heat wave last week was great for some mid-winter outdoor shenanigans, it is worrying those who keep a watchful eye on the water supply here in Santa Cruz County. The numbers are bleaker this year than during the 1977 drought, when Santa Cruz County received only 2.4 inches of rain.

A rumble to the east…

In the last week (or so) there have been several small earthquakes in the Hollister area. It could be that the fault is just letting off some steam… or it could mean a larger earthquake is on its way.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

One of the most flammable parts of the Holiday Season has to be the Christmas Tree.  Out of curiosity, I searched for “Christmas Tree Fire” on YouTube this morning.  Here’s a selection of what I found:
The Difference between a Dry Christmas Tree and a Synthetic Christmas Tree

How fast can your Holiday [...]

Storm relief volunteers in the news

Yesterday, the Register-Pajaronian printed this fantastic article, complete with pictures, on the work our volunteers were doing in the county.  Check it out here:
http://www.register-pajaronian.com/fe_view_article.php?story_id=2862&page_id=72&heading=0

Santa Cruz Rocks

Where were you last night at approximately 8:04 p.m.?
The strongest earthquake since the Loma Prieta quake of 1989 struck the bay area last night, a magnitude 5.6. I was at the Del Mar Theatre, watching Nosferatu. What I assumed was a large truck rumbling the building became quite a bit stronger – lasting [...]