Spring Disaster Update-The latest on the relief in the South.

Posted on May 2, 2011 by semtourofduty

Our thoughts and sympathies are with those who have lost loved ones or suffered through these deadly storms. The Red Cross is helping people now and will still be helping them in the weeks ahead as they try to get back on their feet.

  • The severe spring weather isn’t over yet and heavy thunderstorms are expected throughout the Mississippi and Ohio river basins, bringing the potential for flash flooding to the region.
  • Possible flooding has lead to the evacuation of more than 2,800 people from Cairo, Illinois.

Red Cross President and CEO Gail McGovern visited tornado-ravaged Alabama and Mississippi over the weekend.

  • She described the incredible destruction and pledged that the Red Cross will do whatever is possible to ease the suffering of those affected by the tornadoes. She also thanked the American public for their support.

Our top priority is to provide food, shelter and relief supplies to the thousands of people affected by these storms.

  • More than 980 people spent Sunday night in Red Cross shelters in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia.
  • More than 120 Red Cross emergency response vehicles are distributing meals across seven states. Toiletries and clean-up supplies are also being given out.
  • Kitchens are being set up with organizations like the Salvation Army and Southern Baptist Convention to prepare meals to hand out in the affected neighborhoods. More than 513,000 meals and snacks have been distributed since March 31.
  • The Red Cross has sent in more than 130,000 ready-to-eat meals and thousands of supplies like blankets, toiletries, gloves, rakes, tarps and shovels. We are also moving items for persons with access and functional needs, such as universal cots, shower chairs and commode risers.
  • Since the beginning of April, more than 3,700 Red Cross workers have assisted with relief and recovery efforts in 16 states on 20 separate relief operations.

Red Cross nurses and mental health workers are helping people cope with this tragedy.

  • Our staff has provided more than 6,200 health and mental health consultations.
  • Emergency aid stations are being set up in major damage areas.
  • Our health services workers are assisting people who have lost medications or items like eyeglasses.
  • Red Cross Blood Services is moving hundreds of blood products to the area to make sure hospital patients have the blood they need. The blood supply is stable, but tragic events like these are a reminder of the importance of a sufficient blood supply each and every day.

The Red Cross depends on financial donations to help in times of disaster. Please consider making a donation today to help the thousands of people who have been affected by these disasters.

  • Visit http://www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
  • Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
  • Any donation, large or small, will help. For example, $3 can provide a comfort kit for someone in a disaster. $6 can cover the cost of a blanket, $10 the cost of a hot meal. For $150, someone’s donation can cover the cost of providing food and shelter to a family of four for a day they spend in a shelter.

The Red Cross Safe and Well secure Web site is a way to let your loved ones know you are safe and to find information about people in the affected areas. To register, visit http://www.redcross.org and click on the “List Yourself or Search Registrants” link under “How to Get Help”.

  • People in the affected areas can list themselves as “safe and well” on the site. Friends and family outside the disaster area can then search for messages from their loved ones by using a pre-disaster phone number or complete address.
  • Disaster victims can also update their Facebook and Twitter status through the Safe and Well Web site.
  • From a smart phone, visit http://www.redcross.org/safeandwell and click on the “List Yourself as Safe and Well” or “Search for friends and family” link.
  • From any phone call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and one of our operators can help you register.

STATISTICS

Since March 31, more than 3,700 Red Cross workers have assisted with relief and recovery efforts in 20 separate relief operations in 16 states.

Since that time, the Red Cross has:

  • Served more than 513,000 meals and snacks; nearly 170,000 in Alabama alone.
  • Opened more than 120 shelters; 23 have been in Alabama.
  • Provided more than 8,300 overnight stays; almost 4,000 have been in Alabama.
  • Made more than 6,200 health and mental health contacts.
  • Distributed more than 97,000 bulk items.
  • Deployed 128 of our 322 Emergency Response Vehicles to assist with mobile feeding in seven states; with 62 in Alabama with an additional 17 being deployed.
  • Deployed nine emergency communications response vehicles to six states to assist with Red Cross communications assistance; four vehicles are in Alabama.

Filed under: Disaster, Donate, Emergency Preparedness, Events, Learn, National American Red Cross, News, Preparedness, Safety Tips, Southeastern Michigan Chapter | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

SEM Chapter volunteers head south to help storm victims.

Posted on April 19, 2011 by semtourofduty

As of today three volunteers from the Southeastern Michigan Chapter have been deployed to help with relief effiorts in the south, where tornadoes and strong storms have left some without homes.  Our volunteers will assist in shelters as well as provide mental health assistance for those who need help in dealing with the aftermath of the storms.

WASHINGTON, Monday, April 18, 2011 — The American Red Cross is working around the clock to provide relief to people affected by the deadly tornadoes and scorching wildfires that left a path of destruction in six states across the south over the weekend. Strong tornadoes ripped homes off their foundations, destroyed businesses and schools, overturned cars and buses, uprooted trees and downed power lines in Oklahoma, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi.

In North Carolina alone, preliminary disaster assessments show almost 500 homes destroyed and more than 1,000 damaged. Some of the hardest hit areas are still inaccessible, and officials say that many more than 1,000 families will be homeless in the state. Red Cross workers sheltered more than 500 people over the weekend, served meals throughout the affected neighborhoods, and provided personal hygiene items and supplies to help as the clean-up begins.

With government officials reporting more than 40 deaths from the tornadoes, Red Cross disaster mental health workers are available to help people cope with the aftermath. Red Cross chapters throughout the south are deploying trained disaster teams into the area and more than 25 Red Cross emergency response vehicles are in hard-hit North Carolina, or on their way to the state.

In Texas, wildfires have spread across more than 700,000 acres, destroying homes and forcing people to leave their neighborhoods. Red Cross disaster workers have opened shelters and are feeding those displaced by the fires. As families return to their neighborhoods, Red Cross teams are providing them with food and water. The Red Cross is also assisting those who have lost their homes to the fires, providing them with food, clothing and other necessities. “Families have lost everything, and we are doing what we can to help them as they figure out what’s next,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president, Red Cross Disaster Services. “We’ll continue to help them in the weeks ahead as they try to get back on their feet.”

Since the end of March, the Red Cross has offered relief to people affected by 35 disasters in 20 states. The Red Cross is able to respond quickly with the help of corporations who are members of the organization’s Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP). ADGP members pledge donations on an ongoing basis to allow the Red Cross to pre-position supplies and be ready to take immediate action when disasters occur. ADGP members include 3M, Altria, Aon, Cisco Foundation, ConAgra Foods, Darden Restaurants, Inc., Dr Pepper Snapple Group, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Kraft Foods, Lowe’s Companies, Inc., Merck, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Northrop Grumman, Ryder Charitable Foundation, Southwest Airlines, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc., UnitedHealthcare, UPS and Walmart. The Red Cross depends on financial donations to help people affected by disasters like these tornadoes and wildfires.

You can help by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Visit http://www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

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Red Cross Responds to Southern Spring Storms and Rising Red River in North Dakota

Posted on April 7, 2011 by semtourofduty

Here in Southeast Michigan we have been exposed to mostly cloudy, cold and wet days this Spring.  But in other areas of the country, not only are they experiencing the clouds, but storms are bringing massive amounts of rain which cause a lot of flooding.

The following press release was issued by the American Red Cross, Tuesday to explain the assistance the American Red Cross is giving to the states that are being affected by Spring Storms and flooding.

WASHINGTON, Tuesday, April 5, 2011 — Today, the American Red Cross is responding across the South after severe spring storms affected hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and North Carolina. At the same time, Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground in North Dakota and Minnesota as the Red River continues to rise. In fact, since late March, the Red Cross has played a role in 14 disaster events in 13 states across the nation.

“Red Cross workers are helping people across the South whose homes were damaged by the recent storms, or who have no power to stay warm or cook meals for their family,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president, Red Cross Disaster Services. “At the same time we have trained workers and relief supplies in place in North Dakota and Minnesota, supporting the local volunteers who are fighting to protect their neighborhoods from the rising Red River.”

Wild spring storms damaged homes, downed trees and cut out power overnight in many areas of the South. Red Cross chapters opened shelters to offer people a safe place to stay and deployed disaster teams and response vehicles throughout the damaged communities. Red Cross workers are feeding emergency responders and people affected by the storms, and distributing items to help residents clean up the storm damage.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross has set up headquarters in Fargo, North Dakota to provide meals and mental emotional support as the Red River threatens to overflow its banks. More than 50 Red Cross disaster workers are either on the ground already, or en route to the Red River Valley. Ten Red Cross emergency vehicles have been deployed to the area to help with mobile feeding and distribution of clean-up items and basic necessities like toothbrushes and soap. The Red Cross has already served more than 157,000 meals in support of sandbagging efforts.

April’s severe weather has kept Red Cross disaster workers busy. This latest disaster response comes on the heels of the Red Cross assisting people in Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Texas where wildfires burned thousands of acres, destroyed homes and forced people to evacuate from their neighborhoods. The Red Cross opened shelters for those who had to leave their homes and provided food and refreshments for emergency responders.

Red Cross disaster workers were also on the scene in Florida after tornadoes, thunderstorms, high winds and flooding damaged homes and left thousands without power. Red Cross chapters throughout the state responded, opening shelters, providing food and drinks for emergency responders, and deploying emergency vehicles to distribute clean-up items to those affected by the storms.

The American Red Cross responds to as many as 200 disasters a day in the United States. This assistance helps people affected by larger emergencies such as the severe weather occurring across the country, or a family whose home is destroyed by fire. The Red Cross also continues to help the people of Japan and support the residents of Haiti. If you would like to help, you can visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-REDCROSS, or text REDCROSS to 90999. You can also mail your contribution to your local chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

Filed under: Disaster, Donate, Emergency Preparedness, Floods, National American Red Cross, News, Preparedness, Safety Tips, Tennessee Floods | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

SEM Chapter Deploys Two More Volunteers to Aid with Southern Floods

Posted on May 13, 2010 by semtourofduty

The SEM Chapter has deployed two volunteers, today to aid with the floods in the South.  Each will be on hand to assist with operations for two-three weeks.

This is Michelle Diamond’s first national assignment with the American Red Cross.  She is a local Disaster Action Team Member who began volunteering for the chapter during Hurricane Katrina.  She is very excited to volunteer on a national level.   Michelle, who resides in Rochester will be assisting the communities of Nashville, Tennessee.

Neil Weiner, a veteran to national assignments with the American Red Cross is also looking forward to the trip and helping the communities in the South.  Neil is a licensed professional counselor who resides in Livonia.  he will be assisting the communities of Louisville, Kentucky.

We wish them all the best as they help the communities in the south recover from the mass flooding.

Filed under: Disaster, Floods, National American Red Cross, Tennessee Floods, Uncategorized, Volunteer | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

SEM Chapter deploys two volunteers to assist with Tennessee flood situation

Posted on May 11, 2010 by semtourofduty

Two SEM Chapter Volunteers have been deployed to assist with the Tennessee flood situation,  they both have a background in Mental Health, and will be accessible to clients and volunteers.   

Filed under: Disaster, Emergency Preparedness, National American Red Cross, News, Tennessee Floods, Volunteer | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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