Winning bids fund California disaster preparedness
SACRAMENTO – April 1-26, 2013 – Kicking into high gear this week is the annual Get Prepared, California! auction to promote earthquake preparedness and to support the American Red Cross. The online auction runs through April 26, with many once-in-a-lifetime items available for bidding at www.GetPreparedCalifornia.org.
Exclusive items available for bidding include opportunities to meet celebrity bands and musicians such as Shania Twain, Maroon 5 and Justin Bieber, meet star athletes and see them in action, get dance lessons from the pros at Dancing with the Stars and tickets to this year’s final show, and win a Kennedy Space Center All-Access Space Pass astronaut-training experience.
Sponsored by the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and managed by Clear Channel Media + Entertainment, the first statewide auction to support American Red Cross in 2012 offered 28 items and raised more than $180,000.
All proceeds of the auction will help support the American Red Cross, its 32 chapters in communities throughout California, and its more than 27,000 volunteers, who provide disaster relief to affected families and disaster-preparedness training to more than 1.3 million Californians.
“We are excited to again join forces with the American Red Cross, to get Californians better prepared for earthquakes,” CEA CEO Glenn Pomeroy said. “This auction creates a great opportunity to reinforce the need for earthquake-preparedness throughout our state. And the proceeds it raises will directly help the American Red Cross fulfill its mission here in California.”
California has about two-thirds of the nation’s earthquake risk – producing an average of 102 earthquakes a day, more than 2,000 a year. Yet, according to a UCLA School of Public Health and Survey Research Center report in 2010, “relatively few [California] households have acted to mitigate losses and reduce injuries” from earthquakes.
To address the preparedness gap, the CEA and the American Red Cross have joined forces to help more people prepare to survive and recover from California’s next damaging earthquake.
“Red Cross appreciates that CEA is again sponsoring this statewide auction and is eager to work to help make earthquake preparedness part of our daily lives throughout California,” said American Red Cross Los Angeles Region CEO Paul Schulz. “Joining forces with the CEA enables the American Red Cross to extend its community-preparedness efforts even further.”
About the CEA
With nearly $10 billion in claim-paying power, combined with the service expertise provided by the CEA’s 19 participating insurance companies, the CEA could cover all of its claims if the 1906 San Francisco, 1989 Loma Prieta, or 1994 Northridge earthquakes reoccurred today. Just 12 percent of California’s homeowners with fire insurance, however, also have a separate earthquake insurance policy. Visit www.EarthquakeAuthority.com for more information about the California Earthquake Authority.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization, not a government agency, and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, visit www.redcross.org or contact your local chapter.