Red Cross

Author: Kaitlyn Short

The American Red Cross was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton. Today, it is one of the most well-known charities, with 35,000 employees and more than 500,000 volunteers on the rolls. The national headquarters are in Washington, DC; there are hundreds of local chapters nationwide. The Red Cross makes this mission statement on their website: "The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors." 

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The Good

• Education
• Store

The emergency preparedness section of the Red Cross website is very thorough. The Red Cross has applied knowledge gained through 133 years of disaster response to the materials listed here. Insofar as education goes, we feel that this site is second to none. Users will find an easy to navigate page with information on:

• Types of emergencies
• Preparing your family
• Preparing your home, workplace, and school
• Checklists
• Disaster related apps
• A disaster and safety library with fact sheets, preparedness checklists, recovery guides, and more
• Preparing food and water supplies

In addition, there is a limited store where you can purchase emergency kits and supplies.

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The Bad

• Pricing

There is not much to say on the negative with The Red Cross. We would like to point out that the items in the online store could very likely be purchased much more cheaply elsewhere, especially if you assemble your own kits.

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The Bottom Line

We recommend the Red Cross as an excellent education resource for learning how to prepare ahead for any kind of disaster or emergency. If the information is necessary or useful, you will find it here. In addition, the website can give users information as to where to get help if disaster does strike. The Red Cross is a charity with a long, impeccable history; we are confident that as a website user, you will find what you are looking for - unless you are searching for a place to purchase preparedness supplies like food storage items, water storage, emergency stoves and fuel, and like items. This is not The Red Cross's purpose, and you will need to look elsewhere for those kinds of supplies.