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 SafeHomeIllinois.org is an initiative by the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago and Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
- A clearinghouse of ideas regarding Wind Damage Mitigation
- A guide to resources regarding Safe construction standards
- City Planners - School Administrators - Inspectors - Building Code Officials - Contractors & Suppliers - Architects
- A source for the home owner to access the latest information
Safe Home Illinois offers a variety of events, seminars and conferences in various cities throughout the state of Illinois on different topics realated to wind damage mitigation. View Events Schedule.
Disasters, whether natural or man-made, cost billions of dollars and have tragic results: lives are lost, families separated, homes destroyed and jobs lost. After a disaster, businesses may be in chaos for weeks, and many never recover. Communities must rebuild damaged roads, bridges and public buildings. Although not all disasters can be prevented, Disaster Mitigation can reduce the damage.
 Disaster Mitigation is any action or measure that either prevents the occurrence of a disaster or reduces the severity of its effects. The concept of Disaster Mitigation has been around for many years, even though the term may not be familiar to everyone. An example of Disaster Mitigation is creating safe rooms, adding metal
connectors, such as hurricane straps to strengthen roofs, and using building materials that help homes resist high winds.
One of the lessons learned from recent catastrophic disasters is that after a disaster, roads, bridges and homes need to be rebuilt immediately. The result is that the community is rebuilt just the way it was before: vulnerable to the next disaster. Homes and businesses in flood-prone areas are flooded time and time again. The only way to break this disaster/recovery/disaster cycle is by identifying vulnerable areas before the disaster and taking appropriate steps to protect against the disaster and minimize the damage.
Disaster Mitigation efforts will reduce the human suffering that results from disasters. Money spent to strengthen a roof or anchor a home to its foundation is well spent if the family inside is safe.
The American Red Cross role in Disaster Mitigation goes back to our foundation, the 1905 Congressional Charter which in part states: "..to continue and carry on a system of nation and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigation the suffering caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods and other great national calamities and devise and carry on measures for preventing the same."
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