The following information shows our total service delivery since the beginning of the Georgia floods:

• Shelters opened: 8
• Shelter Overnight Stays: 2,951
• Supplies distributed (like Clean up kits): 142,091
• Meals served: 42,994
• Snacks served: 56,020
• Emergency Response Vehicles on the ground: 21
• Mental Health Consultations: 2,890
• Health Services Consultations: 1,558
• Red Cross workers involved: 806

o Austell Fire Department
   5300 Austell-Powder Springs Road
   Austell, GA 30106

o Austell Shopping Center
   5875 Love St.
   Austell, GA 30168

o Westridge Church
   3522 Hiram-Acworth Highway
   Dallas, GA 30157

o Wade Walker Park
   5585 Rockbridge Road
   Stone Mountain, GA 30088
   *Open Saturday Only

Those who have been affected by the flooding who need help
can call 404-870-4440.

The following information shows our total service delivery since the beginning of the Georgia floods:

• Shelters opened: 8
• Shelter Overnight Stays: 2,553
• Supplies distributed (like Clean up kits): 81,904
• Meals served: 33,710
• Snacks served: 33,397
• Emergency Response Vehicles on the ground: 21
• Mental Health Consultations: 1,886
• Health Services Consultations: 1,049
• Red Cross workers involved: 751

The following information shows our total service delivery since the beginning of the Georgia floods:

• Shelters opened: 8
• Shelter Overnight Stays: 2,377
• Supplies distributed (like Clean up kits): 47,556
• Meals served: 29,708
• Snacks served: 27,755
• Emergency Response Vehicles on the ground: 21
• Mental Health Consultations: 1,364
• Health Services Consultations: 884
• Red Cross workers involved: 742

Red Cross Mental Health Volunteer Heads to Georgia Floods

Orlando Thursday, October 1, 2009 — Longtime American Red Cross of Central Florida volunteer Laura Riddle will leave her Orlando home Friday and head to Atlanta to provide much needed counseling to individuals and families dealing with the destruction of the recent floods in the Southeast. Riddle is now the third person deployed from the Mid-Florida Region.

Any media interested in arranging an interview with Riddle before she leaves from the Orlando International Airport at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 2, should contact the Chief Public Relations Officer.

Riddle is an experienced mental health volunteer who responded to 9/11 and Hurricane Charley.

“Every disaster is different and sometimes people’s reactions are different,” said Riddle as she completed her travel arrangements. “Some want to meet face to face to talk, others take some time to open up and sometimes people just need a shoulder to cry on. It’s my honor to be there for them and help them through the crisis.”

Two other members of the American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region are already in Atlanta. Deputy Disaster Director Melissa Perez and volunteer Becky Smoak-Preston, both with the Space Coast Chapter, headed towards the affected areas Saturday to provide staff and client support.

The following information shows our total service delivery since the beginning of the Georgia floods:

• Shelters opened: 8
• Shelter Overnight Stays: 2,011
• Supplies distributed (like Clean up kits): 44,453
• Meals served: 22,165
• Snacks served: 19,479
• Emergency Response Vehicles on the ground: 21
• Mental Health Consultations: 1,034
• Health Services Consultations: 642
• Red Cross workers involved: 742

Kristen Anderson, with the Church of Good Shepard in Austell, Ga., talks about how the Red Cross brought “tons and tons” of food to the church for them to distribute to the area residents affected by the floods.

The following information shows our total service delivery since the beginning of the Georgia floods:

• Shelters opened: 7
• Shelter Overnight Stays: 1,838
• Supplies distributed (like Clean up kits): 28,334
• Meals served: 18,672
• Snacks served: 13,952
• Emergency Response Vehicles on the ground: 21
• Mental Health Consultations: 871
• Health Services Consultations: 493
• Red Cross workers involved: 742

Collins and I reached the neighborhood, and people were waiting in the street for the next feeding ERV. We talked to people, we told them when help was coming, we told them what we could do. We spoke in Spanish and we used our knowledge to put them at ease. Later, driving through another neighborhood, I handed a Cleanup Kit to a man standing in his garage surrounded by his belongings. We talked for ten minutes.

The Atlanta chapter is large and official looking. It belongs in movies or PR flashes. There is a swarm of Emergency Response Vehicles, called ERVs, and rental cars and box trucks waiting eagerly to be loaded up and delivered.

We walk in the entrance. The mishmash of the parking lot is quickly overshadowed by the zigzag of volunteer lines, the bustle of National Red Cross directors trying to place them, the Atlanta staff trying to house them, and HQ managers trying to continue the operation. Usually, when enough people assemble and lose purpose, they grumble and slowly begin to resent losing their time to waiting. But these volunteers spent these moments hugging old friends and joking around with “the fine woman I worked 21 days with in Texas” or their old boss, “a yard dog and I barked right in his face.”

It’s funny and it’s strange, this culture of nation-wide volunteers who assemble. Some mixture of numbers, cultures, and abilities forms this into a Disaster Response.

A lady in the basement informed us what we would be doing. Bulk Distribution, our division, would transport the supplies from distant warehouses to drop sites and shelters close to the disaster. My fellow Louisiana Red Crosser, Collins, and I jumped on a box truck our first day and shuttled small supplies from headquarters to Fort Gillem. We didn’t see anything affected by the waters. It rained, but we barely got wet.

We didn’t really have work the rest of the day. I read a good book. The Response, I’m finding, doesn’t center around me feeling good or productive, but around something else.

There’s a bit of an image one has when arriving, that every moment will be spent pulling people from the waters, giving them dry clothes and feeding them. I knew it was an illusion, a little bit. I’m understanding, now, that there is much more to mobilizing a response than just having good people on the scene.

There are good people here. And some are right there, giving out a hot meal to someone who can’t return to their home. Some volunteers are opening shelters, today, a couple miles from my new warehouse site. But I’m proud to do my part to contribute, whatever it may be.

Today, we were scouting an area that we heard had been inundated. Collins and I reached the neighborhood, and people were waiting in the street for the next feeding ERV. We talked to people, we told them when help was coming, we told them what we could do. We spoke in Spanish and we used our knowledge to put them at ease. Later, driving through another neighborhood, I handed a Cleanup Kit to a man standing in his garage surrounded by his belongings. We talked for ten minutes. He told me about his recent operations. He told me how his friends were helping to bring him home. He told me he couldn’t leave this house, because he needed the machine to open his lungs.

“I’d shake your hand,” he told me, “But I don’t know if my radiation treatment is dangerous. They said I shouldn’t ride home in the same car with my granddaughter.” He was shaking.

I reached out my hand. “I’ll take a chance.”

American Red Cross opens third shelter in Georgia
Disaster assessment indicates need in Gwinnett County

ATLANTA, September 28, 2009 – The American Red Cross opened another shelter in Georgia to meet the needs of residents living in Gwinnett County.

Red Cross disaster assessment reports indicated early Monday morning that a shelter in Gwinnett would be necessary.

The Red Cross initially opened seven shelters when flooding in the Southeast began, including one in Gwinnett County, which closed on Wednesday of last week. As of this weekend, two shelters remained open to provide food, mental health counseling and emotional support for residents throughout the affected areas.

“We are constantly looking at the needs of the community,” said Fran O’Shaughnessy, director of operations for the Red Cross response to the Georgia flooding. “Sheltering is a fluid thing during disasters because we adapt as the needs of our clients change.”

The shelters currently open in Georgia are:

o Cobb County
   Cobb County Civic Center
   548 South Marietta Parkway
   Marietta, GA 30060

o Gwinnett County
    Zoar United Methodist Church
    3895 Zoar Church Road  
    Snellville, GA 30039

o Cherokee County
   Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency (South Annex)
   7545 Main St. Building 200
   Woodstock, GA 30188

To date, the American Red Cross has provided 1,643 overnight stays for nearly 500 residents in Georgia Red Cross shelters.

The Red Cross Disaster Call Center has fielded questions and requests for help from more than 2,800 people in our community. Those who have been affected by the flooding who need help can call 404-870-4440.

Thirteen Red Cross disaster assessment teams have been moving through affected areas. Preliminary reports indicate that 2,421 homes in Georgia have been affected; 661 of which are destroyed, 620 with major damage.

Through mobile outreach into flood-affected areas, Red Cross caseworkers are connecting one-on-one with people in need and providing financial assistance for food, clothing, shelter and health-related concerns. Along with providing emotional support, caseworkers can direct clients to recovery resources in the community, including Red Cross Distribution Centers for clean-up supplies (mops, brooms, pails, etc.) and personal hygiene items.

The Red Cross is working with emergency partners in hard-hit communities to establish Distribution Centers for clean-up items and bottled water, which will be replenished throughout the day. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the following locations:

o Lawrenceville Fire Dept. Station 20
   1801 Curse Road
   Lawrenceville, GA 30044

o Best Buy – Douglasville
   6875 Douglas Blvd.
   Douglasville, GA 30135

o Powder Springs Police Department
   4483 Pineview Drive
   Powder Springs, GA 30127

o Austell Shopping Center
    5875 Love St.
   Austell, GA 30168

Since flooding began, the Red Cross:

• Has provided nearly 1,643 overnight shelter stays for about 500 affected residents and has provided more than 20,000 meals

• Has had 426 volunteers and staff from 18 states on the ground in affected areas to support the disaster-caused needs of clients

• Has had 21 Emergency Response Vehicles serving as mobile and fixed site feeding stations

• Has provided more than 28,334 bulk items including bleach, comfort kits, clean-up kits and bottled water.

The U.S. government has declared 17 of the 20 affected counties in Georgia as federal disaster areas – Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Stephens and Walker.

WASHINGTON, September 28, 2009 – The rains are over, but the clean-up has only just begun as hundreds of American Red Cross staff and volunteers continue to help those affected by the devastating flooding which inundated the area last week.

For nearly 200 people, home is still a Red Cross shelter. Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) are in flood-ravaged neighborhoods providing meals, snacks, and clean-up supplies. Red Cross disaster assessment teams are surveying homes for damage, and caseworkers are working directly with individuals and families, providing assistance for food, clothing, shelter and health-related concerns, as well as directing people to other recovery resources.

In about two weeks time, the Red Cross has served more than 12,700 meals and 11,400 snacks, and provided more than 28,300 items such as bleach, comfort kits, bottled water and clean-up kits.

The Red Cross pre-positions supplies and disaster equipment around the country to be able to rush relief services into affected areas when disaster strikes. Since 1997, members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) have pledged donations in advance of major disasters to ensure the Red Cross has the ability to respond immediately when needed. This year, members have provided more than $20 million in funding for the Disaster Relief Fund.

ADGP members include Altria Group, Inc., American Express, AXA Foundation, ConAgra Foods, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Raytheon, Ryder Charitable Foundation, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc., UnitedHealthcare, and UPS.

“Thanks to the generosity of our Annual Disaster Giving Program members, we are able to mobilize human and material resources at a moments notice to provide lifesaving services,” said Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. “These funds, coupled with the support of the American public, are critical during floods and enable the Red Cross to rush immediate relief to disaster victims before the first donation has been given.”

You can help people affected by disasters like the current floods by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.org.

Don and Ruth Krohn are not your typical tech users. Both in their late sixties, technology really isn’t their thing. Today they are out and hitting the streets in Austell, Ga., with handheld computer devices, known as Rapid Data Management Systems (RDMS), to gather damage assessments for the American Red Cross.

In the 11 years the Krohns have been volunteering with the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the Red Cross the have been deployed to almost 30 disasters. Their roles vary from disaster to disaster, but this is the first time they have used ‘these high-tech gadgets’ to assist clients.

“At the end of the day is when you can see the results,”says Ruth. “You don’t see all the paperwork. You are done now when you come back in at the end of the day and you don’t have to do any other follow up after the data is sent.”

“It’s a very worth while thing,” adds Don with a chuckle saying how he only wishes that the screen was bigger.

The following information shows our total service delivery since the beginning of the Georgia floods:

• Shelters opened: 7
• Shelter Overnight Stays: 1,643*
• Meals served: 12,715*
• Snacks served: 11,495*
• Supplies distributed (like Clean up kits): 28,334*
• Emergency Response Vehicles on the ground: 21*
• Mental Health Consultations: 507*
• Health Services Consultations:373*
• Red Cross workers involved: 605*

American Red Cross begins client casework in Southeast
More than 430 volunteers and staff aid in Red Cross response

ATLANTA, September 27, 2009– The American Red Cross began client casework today as preliminary damage assessment shows that nearly 2,000 homes have been affected by flooding in 20 counties in the Southeast.

Ron Kitchens, who lives in Austelle, Ga., returned earlier this week to find flood waters had lifted his one-story ranch off its brick-and-mortar foundation and floated it down the street. The home now rests in the middle of the dead-end road.

Despite the fact that Kitchens and his wife can’t enter the house, they remain upbeat.

“We’re a lot luckier than some. We got out alive,” Kitchens said as he sifted through a Red Cross clean-up kit. “You gotta keep living. You gotta keep going.”

The Red Cross continues to provide shelter, food, mental health counseling and emotional support for residents throughout the affected areas.

Thirteen Red Cross disaster assessment teams surveyed homes again Sunday. Preliminary reports indicate that 1,939 homes in Georgia have been affected; 459 of which are destroyed, 517 with major damage.

Through mobile outreach into flood-affected areas, Red Cross caseworkers are connecting one-on-one with people in need and providing financial assistance for food, clothing, shelter and health-related concerns.

Along with providing emotional support, caseworkers can direct clients to recovery resources in the community, including Red Cross Distribution Centers for clean-up supplies (mops, brooms, pails, etc.) and personal hygiene items.

The Red Cross is working with emergency partners in the hard-hit communities of Marietta, Powder Springs and Austell to establish Distribution Centers for clean-up items and bottled water, which will be replenished throughout the day (Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.):

o Lawrenceville Fire Dept. Station 20
   1801 Curse Road
   Lawrenceville,, GA 30044

o Powder Springs Police Department
   4483 Pineview Drive
   Powder Springs, GA 30127

o Best Buy – Douglasville
   6875 Douglas Blvd.
   Douglasville, GA 30135

o Austell Shopping Center
    5875 Love St.
   Austell, GA 30168

Since flooding began through Sunday morning, the Red Cross:

• Has provided nearly 1,500 overnight shelter stays for about 500 affected residents and has provided more than 9,500 meals
• Has more than 430 volunteers and staff from 18 states on the ground in affected areas to support the disaster-caused needs of clients
• Has 21 Emergency Response Vehicles serving as mobile and fixed site feeding stations
• Currently, the Red Cross has two shelters open in Cobb County and Cherokee County:

o Cobb County Civic Center
    548 South Marietta Parkway
    Marietta, GA 30060

o Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency (South Annex)
    7545 Main St. Building 200
    Woodstock, GA 30188

• Has provided more than 15,000 bulk items including bleach, comfort kits, clean-up kits and bottled water.

The U.S. government has declared 14 of the 20 affected counties in Georgia as federal disaster areas – Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, Paulding, Rockdale, Stephens and Walker.

How to Help

1. Donate to the Red Cross. You can help people affected by disasters like the current floods by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS

2. Donate blood. The need for blood is constant and the Southern Blood Services Region is committed to continuing to provide blood and blood products to those in need at all times. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to find a drive near you.

3. Donate your time. Sign up as a Red Cross volunteer. Visit www.redcross.org.

For continuous updates visit http://newsroom.redcross.org.