disaster relief « American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom

Disaster Alert: Flooding from South Carolina to New York

October 1, 2010

Disaster Alert

South Carolina to New York – Remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole continued to dump several inches of rain that caused flooding throughout many states along the Eastern seaboard. Multiple fatalities reported in North Carolina.

Chapters deployed Disaster Action Teams, placed others on stand-by, opened over a dozen shelters, supported several others, and collaborated with local and state Emergency Operation Centers to assist affected-area residents as needed.

Chapters continue to monitor the situation as additional rainfall is expected.

Leave a Comment » | Disaster Alerts, Fall Floods 2010 | Tagged: disaster relief, flooding, new york, red cross, south carolina, storms | Permalink
Posted by amrecro

Disaster Update: San Bruno Explosion

September 29, 2010

Disaster Update

On September 9, a main gas line ruptured and exploded igniting a San Bruno neighborhood, displacing hundreds of residents and causing several injuries and deaths.

The American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter has been assisting the affected residents, providing shelter, food and hydration, crisis counseling, health services and additional assistance to help with their recovery.

As of September 27, the Red Cross has met with and registered more than 383 families (more than 1,000 individuals) affected by the fire. These families are receiving assistance from the Red Cross to find alternative housing, replace lost items and create long-term recovery plans. Red Cross volunteers continue to conduct follow-up outreach to the affected families to discuss outstanding needs and initiate a long-term recovery process, ensuring that everyone has the assistance and support they require in the coming months.

Ongoing casework with the affected families is also taking place at the San Bruno Recovery Center, located at 900 Cherry Avenue, Suite 332, San Bruno. The San Bruno Recovery Center will serve as the location for long-term recovery, assistance and services for all affected residents of the San Bruno Fire. Along with the Red Cross, several nonprofit and government agencies are co-located at the San Bruno Recovery Center.

Throughout this response, the Red Cross has worked to encourage partnering, collaboration and coordination, supporting the City of San Bruno and the Coordinated Assistance Network (CAN). The Red Cross will continue to use our resources to help with the longer-term recovery concerns in San Bruno, such as housing, health issues and other disaster recovery needs.

At the site of the explosion, debris removal of the destroyed and damaged homes continues. Red Cross volunteers remain in the affected neighborhood to provide snacks, hydration and emotional support to the families who have returned home, as well as first responders, workers and investigators.

DISASTER RELIEF OPERATION FAST FACTS

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Leave a Comment » | Fast Facts | Tagged: disaster relief, explosion, gas leak, red cross, san bruno | Permalink
Posted by amrecro

Video: Red Cross Mental Health Services to Disaster Stricken Areas

September 13, 2010

Rob Yin, Manager for Disaster Health Services at the American Red Cross, talks a bit about the services we provide to people affected by disasters year-round.

Leave a Comment » | Videos | Tagged: disaster relief, mental health, red cross, video | Permalink
Posted by amrecro

Press Release: Web Users Increasingly Rely on Social Media to Seek Help in a Disaster

August 9, 2010

Web Users Increasingly Rely on Social Media to Seek Help in a Disaster

New Red Cross survey shows 74 percent expect response agencies to
answer social media calls for help within an hour

Washington, August 9, 2010 – A new American Red Cross survey shows many web users would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies—and they expect first responders to be listening.

The online survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through a digital means such as e-mail, websites or social media. If web users knew of someone else who needed help, 44 percent would ask other people in their social network to contact authorities, 35 percent would post a request for help directly on a response agency’s Facebook page and 28 percent would send a direct Twitter message to responders.

Web users also have clear expectations about how first responders should be answering their requests. The survey showed that 69 percent said that emergency responders should be monitoring social media sites in order to quickly send help—and nearly half believe a response agency is probably already responding to any urgent request they might see.

And the survey respondents expected quick response to an online appeal for help—74 percent expected help to come less than an hour after their tweet or Facebook post.

“The first and best choice for anyone in an emergency situation is to call 9-1-1,” said Gail McGovern, American Red Cross president and CEO. “But when phone lines are down or the 9-1-1 system is overwhelmed, we know that people will be persistent in their quest for help and use social media for that purpose.”

The Red Cross commissioned the survey in advance of an Emergency Social Data Summit set for Thursday, August 12, in Washington, D.C. The meeting, convened by the Red Cross, will bring together thought leaders and experts in the government, social media, emergency response and the non-profit sectors to discuss better ways to handle information that flows through the web during disasters.

Photos: California Wildfires

August 2, 2010

The Crown Wildfire burns in the Acton and Agua Dulce area of Los Angeles County. Fire forced over 4,000 people in the Palmdale area to relocate. The American Red Cross Los Angeles Region with recommendations from L.A. County and City Officials opened 2 shelters and provided overnight services to 175 residents.

View entire “California Wildfires 2010″ set on Flickr >>

Leave a Comment » | California Wildfires 2010, Photos | Tagged: california, disaster relief, evacuation, fire, photos, red cross, shelter, wildfires | Permalink
Posted by amrecro

Photos: Apartment Fire in NY

July 30, 2010

View entire “A NY Red Cross Response to an Apartment Building Fire on a Hot July Day” set on Flickr >>

Leave a Comment » | Photos | Tagged: apartment fire, disaster relief, new york, red cross | Permalink
Posted by amrecro

Video: Disaster Relief PSA w/ Billy Bob Thornton

July 29, 2010

A PSA for disaster relief narrated by Billy Bob Thornton. Written/Produced by Zac Adams. Edited by Bill Cornelius. Music by Cody Westheimer. www.redcross.org

Leave a Comment » | Videos | Tagged: billy bob thornton, disaster relief, red cross | Permalink
Posted by amrecro

Press Release: Grant Wood Area Chapter Response Vehicles Provides Comfort for Flood Victims

July 26, 2010

Grant Wood Area Chapter Response Vehicles Provides Comfort for Flood Victims

Red Cross Provides Tips to Stay Safe After a Flood

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – The American Red Cross Grant Wood Area Chapter (GWAC) is on the scene in several Eastern Iowa counties to help those affected by the flood.

“In the days and weeks to come, the Red Cross will be coordinating with emergency officials and local community partners to help residents impacted by the flood get back on their feet,” said Angela Jordan, GWAC CEO. “The Red Cross will continue providing mobile feeding through Wednesday and possibly longer to those affected by the flood.”

Monday, July 26, 2010

A Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) will be taking lunch and supper to Hopkinton then making a longer stop in the Lake Delhi area.
A Red Cross van will be providing lunch today in Manchester. A limited number of clean up kits are available at the Manchester Fire Department on a first come, first served basis.
Bottled water is available at the Monticello City Works Building (City Shop).
Clean up kits are available at the Oelwein Fire Department.
The Red Cross is anticipating having additional clean up kits available on Wednesday and will send out pick up locations once available.

Story: Helping Others, Helping Herself

July 26, 2010

Sandra Torres of Ripley, Mississippi came to Pike County, Kentucky to help others, but she started working with the Red Cross to help herself. “Eight years ago my husband was unexpectedly killed and I needed a way to fill my time;” Torres explained. “In the process I realized how helping others was helping me heal.”

Since 2002 Torres has served as a Disaster Relief volunteer and she estimates that her deployment to Pike County is her 35 relief operation assignment. Torres’ first introduction to the Red Cross came in 1998 when she took a CPR class. At that time, an instructor told her about other volunteer opportunities. It was four years later, after her husband’s death, when she first volunteered. She soon found herself in Corpus Christi, Texas responding to massive river flooding.

Sandra was a mass care volunteer on her first assignment and while she found that experience rewarding she wanted an opportunity to work with clients one-on-one. Torres, who is fluent in both Spanish and American Sign Language, is now a client caseworker.

Read More >>

Leave a Comment » | Stories, Summer Floods 2010 | Tagged: disaster relief, flooding, kentucky, mississippi, red cross | Permalink
Posted by amrecro