It's been a busy month for REACT International, Inc., a nonprofit public service corporation devoted to public safety. REACT is a worldwide affiliation of individuals who help monitor emergency frequencies of various radio services to assist anyone in distress, particularly travelers.

REACT’s National Preparedness Month campaigns and achievements have included: 

• Conducting "SOS drills" in three states, (PA, IN and HI) designed to encourage citizens to obtain Family Radio Service (FRS) radios, which are available at stores such as WalMart and enable communication between neighbors and rescuers during emergency situations.
  
  "FRS radios are a simple way to help people in a serious situation like Galveston, when telephones are out," said REACT public relations chairman Ron McCracken.
  
• Preparing for a massive earthquake drill taking take place later this fall. The Great California ShakeOut bills itself as "the largest earthquake preparedness activity in U.S. history," involving the participation of more than 3 million registrants in Southern California.
  
• Presenting a workshop at a leadership conference for South Asian countries.
  
• A Canadian REACT team receiving an $85,000 grant to purchase new radio equipment to better service its community.

This month, REACT collaborated on blueprints for a large-scale earthquake simulation drill in Calif. (So. Cal. Earthquake Center)

Earlier this month, seven years after 9/11, REACT was invited to a special reception at the White House.

The group earned considerable stripes on the homeland security front on Sept. 11, 2001, when a REACT team at Ground Zero volunteered their communications expertise to help Salvation Army canteens coordinate the delivery of supplies.

"We were very fortunate," McCracken said. "President Bush regocognized groups like ours who had been active on 9/11 supporting the authorities in New York City and Washington."

McCracken said that it is the first time in over thirty years that REACT has been invited to the White House.

"Our previous invitation came as the result of a Washington area REACTer being first to alert authorities to the tragic crash of an Air Florida jet into the Potomac River during a blizzard," he said. 

That report earned REACT the "President's Volunteer Action Award" from President Reagan.