'It's the idea of helping': Responding to local disasters has become a holiday tradition for two unlikely friends

On paper, Chris Sadlocha and John Rudolph couldn’t be more different.

Sadlocha is a retired elementary school teacher of 40 years and Rudolph is a former volunteer firefighter and paramedic with an interest in amateur radio. But like many Red Cross volunteers, they have one very important thing in common.

“You know, we’re helpful people,” Sadlocha laughed.

Both drawn to the American Red Cross in the hopes of making a difference in the lives of those facing

emergencies at home in Delaware and Otsego Counties and across the country, the unlikely friends paired up for the first time as Disaster Action Team (DAT) members on New Year’s Eve just four years ago.

“Responding to fires and helping people wasn’t a far spur from what I used to do,” Rudolph explained. “Chris was there to help me. We went out on my first few calls together. He’s been a giant help there.”

As DAT members, those calls regularly consist of being some of the first on the scene in the wake of a disaster – primarily home fires. Red Cross DAT volunteers like Chris and John are often some of the first to meet with families in the wake of devastating home fires and provide support to those who just lost everything.

“We’re there to try and give them some peace of mind. Some funds for food, hotel, clothing, whatever they need to get them stable and figure out the rest. Being able to be there for them in that way may seem like a small thing, but when these people are going through this, it’s something huge.”

In the 2021 fiscal year, Red Cross volunteers responded to 936 local disasters in the Western New York region – the majority of which were home fires – and provided immediate emergency assistance to more than 1,600 families. For Red Crossers like Chris and John, it doesn’t matter the time or the day as they consider themselves always “on call.” In fact, this past Thanksgiving holiday, Chris volunteered his time to answer the call – driving more than an hour to assist a family impacted by a home fire in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

“What are the pieces that drive us? You know, it’s the idea of helping,” Sadlocha explained. “I’m in a warm house, I’ve got plans maybe to go work out in the garden, take a walk, do some reading. Meanwhile, those folks down there have lost their home. They’re experiencing one of the worst days of their lives and we can provide some relief for that. So, we’ll take that drive for that.”

But as they approach another anniversary of their first response together this New Years, they both admit they could also use some help. Over the years, the pair has added considerably to their DAT duties with Sadlocha taking on roles as a Regional Onboarding Lead among others, and Rudolph now assisting DAT responses virtually as a Duty Officer while training to serve as an Emergency Response Vehicle operator on local and national responses.

Always looking to add to the DAT roster and the Red Cross volunteer base in general, the duo is encouraging others to resolve to volunteer with the Red Cross in any capacity this coming new year.

“No matter what the job is, it’s the people working together,” said Rudolph. “I have found that even in the worst cases, people find a way to deal with it and make it as enjoyable as possible.

“Probably the strongest thing I could say to persuade somebody to join the Red Cross is you can really help and provide the relief to somebody that’s having the worst day of their life,” Sadlocha explained. “It’s highly rewarding. There are volunteer positions with the Red Cross that you don’t get in a whole bunch of other places.”

To learn more about available volunteer positions, including the Disaster Action Team, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday or contact RecruitWNY@redcross.org.

Sounding the Alarm to Save Lives

The world looks a bit different than it did when the American Red Cross kicked off its 2021 Sound the Alarm campaign on April 8 in Buffalo.

Chief Disaster Officer Ken Turner
joined a team of volunteers to install
free smoke alarms in Buffalo, NY on June 8

The weather is noticeably, and thankfully, warmer; we are beginning to climb out of the pandemic and reunite with loved ones and along with that the American Red Cross of Western New York has resumed free smoke alarm installations – a cornerstone of the Sound the Alarm campaign. 

Every 8 minutes, Red Cross volunteers respond to a disaster-related incident – the majority of which are home fires. Through the Sound the Alarm/Home Fire Safety campaign Red Cross volunteers focus on helping families across Western New York to prevent, respond to and recover from home fires. From helping families to create their two-minute escape plan to installing smoke alarms, volunteers within our 27-county footprint have reached thousands of homes helping to save lives.

In a COVID-19 environment, our methods looked a bit different this year. This spring, much of the campaign focused on a virtual home fire safety education component, with limited smoke alarm installations taking place through our partners with the Gates Fire Department, Paul Davis and the West Webster Fire Department.

Despite these challenges, Red Cross volunteers rose to the occasion reaching nearly 800 homes and installing more than 1,200 smoke alarms as part of the 2021 Sound the Alarm/Home Fire Safety campaign!

Red Cross volunteer Melanie Pandich reviews a home
 fire escape plan with Rochester resident Mary Kay Smyth
during the Sound the Alarm Day of Action on May 8

As a result, since its launch in 2014, more than 12,000 homes across the Western New York region have been reached, more than 30,000 free smoke alarms have been installed and most importantly, 39 lives have been saved as a direct result of the campaign.

This lifesaving work is a testament to the dedication of our Red Cross volunteers, partner organizations and sponsors including:

Installation Partners

·         Gates Fire Company

·         Paul Davis

·         West Webster Fire Department

·         Spencerport Fire Department

·         Laurelton Fire Department

·         Geneva Fire Department

Campaign Sponsors

·         NFA, National Fire Adjustment Inc.

·         National Grid

·         Corning Incorporated Foundation

·         Lewis Tree Service

·         Dryden Mutual Insurance Co.

·         ESL Federal Credit Union

·         Geico Buffalo

·         M&T Bank

·         Linde

·         DiMino’s Lewiston Tops

·         Ingram Micro

·         Paychex

·         Phillips Lytle, LLP

·         Rich Products

When the worst happens, the Red Cross is there. While the pandemic may have impacted the approach, it only served to strengthen the resolve of the Red Cross workforce and our mission. As many of us begin to resume normal activities, we encourage families to join the Red Cross in helping to end home fires within our community by learning more or signing up for a free smoke alarm today.

 

Putting Things into Perspective

"My mother is on oxygen; I think she could use a visit.”

Richard McCorry, a Red Cross Disaster Spiritual Care volunteer from Western New York, was in the lobby of the Sheraton in Arlington, Texas, when one of the Hurricane Laura evacuees sheltering there approached him with that request. When McCorry and his partner made their way to the woman’s room, they met an 89-year-old woman who was forced to evacuate when Laura devastated her hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

“Three months earlier, she was diagnosed with COVID,” McCorry said. “She developed blood clots in her lungs and is now permanently on oxygen.”

The Red Cross is taking multiple safety precautions to continue provide help and hope when such as Hurricane Laura strike during this public health crisis, including prioritizing individual hotel rooms or opening more shelters that can support fewer people then normal to help with social distancing, wearing masks, and using enhanced cleaning and disinfecting purposes. Two weeks after Laura made landfall, more than 7,000 people in Texas are still staying in emergency lodgings, state and Red Cross supported shelters and hotels, with more than double that number in Louisiana. The Red Cross has served more than 47,000 meals and snacks with partners across Texas. While not nearly as visible, Health Services, Disaster Mental Health, and Disaster Spiritual Care volunteers like McCorry have made more than, 4,800 individual care contacts to help people like this 89-year-old woman from Lake Charles deal with the emotional toll a disaster like this can inflict.

“Her husband left her this year, too,” McCorry learned. “We asked what we could do for her. On the verge of tears, she said, ‘Pray for me.’ And we did.”

“I’ve found that one of the gifts of volunteering is perspective,” says McCorry, who has deployed on multiple disaster relief operations during his volunteer career. “If I think I’m having a bad day, I think of her. I haven’t had a bad day in my life. I continue to pray for her.”

Red Cross volunteers often report that they get more from their experience than the people they’re serving. Right now, the Red Cross needs volunteers to help in our community and that are willing to deploy to support national relief operations in the COVID-19 environment. To learn more about how you can start receiving some of the “gifts” Richard describes while helping your neighbors in need, visit www.redcross.org/volunteertoday.

Story by: Jay Bonafede, American Red Cross

Melanie Davis gets baby supplies at a hotel that is being used as an
American Red Cross shelter for families affected by Hurricane
Laura, in New Orleans, LA on Thursday, September 3, 2020.
Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross

"We helped them when they needed it most"

Editors note: Christine Balestra is a Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteer in Tompkins County, and shared her story of a pre COVID-19 fire response:

I was dispatched with the rest of my DAT team around 3 a.m. on October 22, 2019 to an apartment complex for a multiple unit fire response. We arrived on the scene while it was still active and it was somewhat chaotic.  There were fire departments from multiple agencies fighting the blaze, and one of the agencies allowed us to use their extra fire truck to interview clients.  All 10 or so of the affected apartment units in the building were deemed unlivable.

All residents were accounted for by the fire chief when we arrived, but since it was the middle of the night, two families left the scene as we arrived (more on that below) and most people were in pajamas and didn't have much with them.  The people in the truck were visibly shaken, scared and tired, but one resident made sure as many of her neighbors as possible stayed in the truck to get interviewed.  

My team of four broke into teams of two to interview and provide client assistance.  One by one, they told us their stories - some hearing a "pop" sound and thinking it might be the wind; some smelling smoke and realizing that the fire was in the main hallway that connected all of the first floor units (all of the front doors faced the hallways).  Residents on the first floor fled through the back sliding doors onto their back patio and screamed for their neighbors to get out.  They then helped their second floor neighbors and their children jump from balconies to safety.  Everyone got out and everyone survived, albeit some with injuries.  There were two cats - one was accounted for that night and another ended up at Cornell's Veterinary hospital (I think she ended up ok).

None of the people I interviewed knew about Red Cross assistance, so they were all extremely grateful when we explained the assistance available to them.  To coordinate shelter for the group, one of the residents contacted a hotel that was located within walking distance from the fire - and the hotel offered to house the clients for free for the night.  Most of the families ended up at the hotel.

That night, we provided blankets, comfort kits, Mickey's and assistance cards to 8 families. One of my team mates also literally gave a victim the shoes he was wearing because that person ran out of his unit without putting shoes on.  This man was more concerned about getting his kitty companion out of the apartment (calmest cat I ever encountered - he sat quietly in the client's lap as I filled out paperwork). 

Two families left the scene immediately before we arrived at the fire. One sought shelter at a local church that night; the other ended up at the hotel with the rest of the group later that morning. So another team member and I followed up with these residents the next evening.  Both families were from another country and English was their second language.  One family was so grateful that they wanted to take pictures of my team mate and I to remember us by.  They also gave us hugs.

On a personal level, this DAT call was very rewarding for me.  Although it was a lot of people to serve at 3 in the morning, the level of service we could provide and the appreciation we received made it all worth it.  Some of these people lost everything they had and it made me feel like we helped them when they most needed it.

If you'd like to feel the same satisfaction from helping your community, start your Red Cross story at www.redcross.org/volunteer. You can also make a financial gift to help make our mission possible at www.redcross.org/donate.  

Remembering "Snowvember", Five Years Later

A Lackawanna house buried in snow following
Snowvember 2014

What were you doing five years ago? If you were in Western New York in November 2014, particularly South Buffalo and the Southtowns, you'll never forget it. 

An unprecedented Lake Effect Snowstorm buried parts of WNY under as much as eight feet of snow. Travel bans and road closures left hundreds of motorists stranded, while thousands more were trapped in their homes. Many residents had to be evacuated over concerns their home might collapse under the weight of all that snow.

Thanks to the year-round support of our generous donors, the Red Cross was able to immediately provide hope, help, and comfort to the WNY community. Between November 18 and November 28, a workforce of 175 people - 80% of them volunteers - operated or supported 19 different shelters across the Region, providing a warm place to spend the night for 603 people. Working with community partners such as the Salvation Army, the Red Cross served 6,696 meals and snacks to families and individuals in need, with four Emergency Response Vehicles taking support directly to areas hardest hit by the storm. Specially trained volunteers provided 1,019 health and mental health contacts, and 3,939 relief items, including cleanup and personal comfort kits, were distributed to families affected by the winter storm.

Joy Lawrence was still smiling despite his big rig getting
stranded in the snow. He enjoyed his "little adventure"
staying at a Red Cross shelter in Elma, NY

“I’m really enjoying this. I call it my little adventure!” Truck driver Joy Lawrence, from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, was able to smile despite having been stranded and needing to be brought to the Red Cross shelter at Iroquois Middle School in Elma by two police officers. “Wow, Red Cross, you guys are awesome. Really helpful, really kind, really understanding. They're willing to help you in every way. Food, shelter, nursing. Sometimes it's hard for me to explain. I'm 100% satisfied with your services.”

NATIONAL NETWORK HELPS MAINTAIN A SAFE BLOOD SUPPLY 

The unprecedented snowfall forced 29 blood drives to be cancelled across WNY, resulting in 910 units going uncollected. When severe weather disrupts blood collections throughout the area, the Red Cross is able to provide blood from other blood regions to help local hospitals. Despite the conditions, volunteer drivers were able to deliver this vital resource to area hospitals so they could continue to meet patient needs.

“I was driving a Red Cross vehicle from the Blood Processing Center in West Henrietta to Mercy Hospital when Harlem Road when the National Guard said the road was impassible,” said volunteer driver Dona Bronkie. “After calling the hospital and my supervisor, we arranged to drop off the blood the Catholic Health building downtown and they were able to make sure it got to the hospital and patients in need.”

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT STORM

Nationally, the Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes. To be ready to respond 24/7, the Red Cross maintains a variety of resources, equipment, and volunteers to provide help after disasters. Just as the Red Cross prepares for disasters, it’s also important for people to prepare by taking three simple steps:

The Red Cross operated or
supported 19 shelters, including
this one at the Depew Senior Center

1. Get a Kit: Emergency kits should include food, water, and other basic supplies to last three days for each family member.
2. Make a Plan: Plan what to in case you are separated from your family during an emergency and have to evacuate
3. Be Informed: Learn which emergency may occur where you live, work, and play, and how to respond as quickly as possible. Find out how local officials will contact you during a disaster and how you will get important information

In partnership with New York State, the Red Cross is pleased to offer free Citizen Preparedness Corps training across the state. The training provides information about common types of natural and man-made disasters, and teaches effective ways to prepare for, respond to and recover from them as an individual, family and community. Click here to request volunteers to provide this training at your school, group, or other organization.

Download the free Red Cross Emergency App to get lifesaving preparedness information, real-time weather alerts, and more, in the palm of your hand. Search “American Red Cross” in the app store or go to www.redcross.org/apps.

DONATE BLOOD

NY-Penn Blood Services currently collects an estimated 750 units daily to support approximately 90 hospitals in New York and ten counties in Pennsylvania. The Red Cross strives to meet local hospital needs first, and then through our national inventory management system, we can move products throughout our area and across the country, where there is a need.

Currently the Red Cross has a critical need for all blood types and platelet donations. Schedule an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

The scene outside Iroquois Middle School in Elma
as volunteers opened a shelter for those affected by
Snowvember 2014

DONATE TO DISASTER RELIEF

You can help people affected by disasters like winter storms and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. 

You can also donate your time and talent as a Red Cross volunteer. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to fill out an online application and start your own Red Cross story.

"Sharing the Love of Saving a Life" with M&T Bank

"You can't put a price on someone's life," says Lashanna Walker from M&T Bank. "So if it's as little as making sure they have smoke detectors, and for free, that time invested is absolutely priceless."

Walker was one of four volunteers from M&T Bank who invested some of their time on Valentine's Day helping Sound the Alarm, joining Red Cross volunteers from the Western New York Chapter to install free smoke alarms for families while providing them with important fire safety information. Walker regularly volunteers with Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, but when WNY Chapter Board Chair Susan MacDonald presented this opportunity to her colleagues at M&T, Walker was eager to sign up.

"There was a fire right before Christmas Eve on Shirley Avenue. I have a girlfriend who lives on Shirley, and my heart dropped because I thought it was her house," Walker said. "I confirmed she was safe, but then I heard the story, two kids died in the fire plus an adult. It was so sad, literally a few streets over from where I live at. So when the email popped up about Sound the Alarm, I was like, absolutely. I want to make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

After some training over coffee and donuts this morning by Red Cross instructor Dennis Scott, Walker and fellow M&T Bank volunteers Vincent Gagliano, Scott Maciejewski, and Joan Polanowski joined Red Cross volunteers and visited 18 households in the Buffalo area. Together, they made those families safer by installing 43 free smoke alarms, helping them create escape plans, and teaching them about fire safety.

"The gentleman at the first house was worried because they didn't clean up or anything," Walker said of her first installation experience. "We just explained to them, we could care less about any of that, what we're doing is more important than if you have some clothes on the floor. We're here to put the smoke detectors in, save lives."

This was the beginning of what will be an ongoing partnership, as M&T Bank volunteers will be participating in Sound the Alarm installation events on a quarterly basis. Walker already has her calendar cleared for the next time.

"It's one of those where you may not see the immediate results, but you never know when this little effort and no matter how many hours were invested are going to pay off," Walker said. "It just made me feel good to know, on Valentine's day, we're out there sharing the love of saving a life."

If you'd like to help share that love by volunteering, making a donation to help keep Sound the Alarm free, or if you or someone you love needs working smoke alarms, visit www.soundthealarm.org/wcny for more information.

-Story and Photos by: Jay Bonafede, Regional Communications Officer

Remembering Flight 3407

Every Western New Yorker remembers where they were when they heard the news the evening of February 12, 2009.

"I was coming back from officiating a St. Bonaventure basketball game in Olean, and I remember telling my referee partner the evening felt especially gloomy," said Regional Disaster Officer, Ken Turner, of the night Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence, NY. "When I heard there had been a plane crash, I immediately called Tara Hughes, and she told me she was expecting my call."

Tara Hughes is the American Red Cross, Northeast Division Disaster Mental Health Advisor. She knew it would be her job to work with airline and emergency officials to set up a Family Assistance Center: a safe, private place for families of the 50 people who lost their lives in the crash to gather for information and support.

On Monday, a wreath was laid and 50 carnations placed on
the crypt at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo in honor of the
50 lives lost in the crash of Flight 3407 February 12, 2009.
Photo courtesy: Tara Hughes, American Red Cross

"I immediately went to Clarence, but officials starting busing families to the Cheektowaga Senior Center," Hughes remembers. 

"My second call was to Sister Martha (Olszewski)," Turner added. "By the time I got to the Senior Center, she was already there!"

Hughes would soon join them, and was instrumental in moving the Family Assistance Center to the Hotel Indigo about 2 p.m. the next day. For the next several days, the Indigo was the place families received updates from officials while Red Cross volunteers provided comfort and support, all away from the hoards of media and public officials. When the initial operations began winding down, Disaster Mental Health volunteers like Hughes, Sister Martha, and Peggy McGee-Smith helped the Families of Flight 3407 form a support group that would meet formally for the next seven years.

"Sometimes we would lead the discussion, other times the families would start talking and we wouldn't say a word until it was time to leave," Hughes says. 

Even though the support group stopped formally meeting three years ago, the bonds remain strong. This summer, the Families of Flight 3407 asked Hughes to be one of only three speakers at a vigil on the ten year anniversary of the tragedy, joining Deborah Hersman, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board during the investigation into the crash, and "Miracle on the Hudson" First Officer, Jeff Skiles. Sister Martha will be leading the opening prayer at Zion Church in Clarence Center Tuesday evening, then she and Hughes will join the families on a candlelight walk to the memorial at the crash site, where at 10:18 p.m.--the time of the crash--the names of all 50 lives lost will be read.

"There's been a family that has been created out of this tragedy. Membership in a club they didn't ask to be a part of, but are now best friends," says Hughes. "They've brought in as family members, too. We have dinner every Christmas!" 

The Red Cross is proud to have been there for the Families of Flight 3407 for the past ten years, and to continue to support them today, thanks to amazing volunteers like Tara, Sister Martha, and Peggy. 

"May they never be forgotten."

-Jay Bonafede, Regional Communications Officer

 

21 Western and Central New York Volunteers Supporting Hurricane Florence Response

20,000+ people in more than 200 shelters overnight Thursday

BUFFALO, NY, Saturday, September 15, 2018 — 21 American Red Cross volunteers and two Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV) from the Western and Central New York Region are deploying to support the response to Hurricane Florence (updates in bold):

NAME                                    HOMETOWN          ACTIVITY                 LOCATION

John Thomas Aldasch            Canastota                   Sheltering                   North Carolina

Pete Bonaccorso                        Fairport                         ERV Driver                   North Carolina

Donna Davis                       Burdett                     Gov Ops                    South Carolina

Michelle Fiermonte                Syracuse                     Sheltering                   North Carolina

Laurie Hagen                             West Seneca                  Sheltering                      North Carolina

Charlene Hanson                   Niagara Falls              Health Services          South Carolina

Chuck Haupt                       Owego                       Distribution            South Carolina

Thomas Lee Hough                East Syracuse             Sheltering                   North Carolina

Tom Margrave                    Cortland                   Spiritual Care         North Carolina

Diana McLaughlin                 Rochester                   Staff Services              South Carolina

Lewis Montemaggi                 Pittsford                      Sheltering                   North Carolina

Lorraine Morris                      Bath                            Customer Service       North Carolina

Donald Nelson                   Endwell                    Sheltering                South Carolina

Deborah Scherberger             Rochester                   Sheltering                   South Carolina

Christine Schutterop        Pittsford                   Sheltering                North Carolina

Steven Schwartz                Buffalo                      Staff Relations        South Carolina

Mark Sennett                         Fairport                       Sheltering                   South Carolina

Beverly Skinner                      Liverpool                    Health Services          South Carolina

Deb Thompson                          Lima                               ERV Driver                    North Carolina

Mary Jane Uttech              Marathon                 Health Services      North Carolina

Barbara Woodarek           Great Valley             Feeding                     South Carolina

In addition, four regional volunteers are supporting the response virtually: Lucille Frisicano of Webster, Sarah Perkins of Pittsford, Nancy Hall of Trumansburg, and Suganthi Roy of Rochester.

The American Red Cross is helping people in multiple states as Hurricane Florence pummels the Carolinas with strong winds, heavy rain and dangerous tidal surges. Twice the size of Louisiana, Florence is inundating communities and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

As Hurricane Florence comes ashore, the Red Cross is providing safe shelter and comfort for evacuees across six states. More than 20,000 people sought refuge in more than 200 Red Cross and community shelters Thursday night to escape the storm’s wrath. View some of their stories here.

As of midnight, 14,000 people were in 124 shelters in North Carolina, and 5,600 people in 59 shelters in South Carolina. An additional 430 people stayed in 23 shelters in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and Maryland.

About 2,000 Red Cross disaster workers from all over the country have been mobilized to help shelter, feed and support people affected by Florence. Working with partners, the Red Cross has served 47,000 meals and snacks in North Carolina and South Carolina. To bolster relief efforts, the Red Cross is mobilizing nearly 100 emergency response vehicles and more than 120 trailers of equipment and supplies, including 100,000 ready-to-eat meals and enough cots and blankets for more than 42,000 people.

Some evacuation centers may not have cots, food, running water or electricity; they are meant to safely house people for about 72 hours until the storm passes and weather conditions improve. If needed, local government officials may transition evacuation centers into emergency shelters if residents can’t return home after the storm passes. The Red Cross supports pre-landfall evacuation centers and post-landfall emergency shelters with trained workers, shelter supplies and other aid.

Since September 11, more than 2.5 million weather alerts have been sent through Red Cross apps to help people make lifesaving decisions.

HOW YOU CAN HELP The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Florence by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word FLORENCE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

The Red Cross honors donor intent. Donors can designate their donation to Hurricane Florence relief efforts by choosing that option when donating on redcross.org or on 1-800-RED CROSS.

The best way to ensure your donation will go to a specific disaster is to write the specific disaster name in the memo line of a check. We also recommend completing and mailing the donation form on redcross.org with your check.

PLEASE GIVE BLOOD More than 140 blood drives have been canceled through early next week due to Hurricane Florence, resulting in over 4,200 uncollected blood and platelet donations. Eligible donors in unaffected areas are urged to make an appointment now to give blood or platelets to help maintain the nation’s blood supply. There is a critical need to platelet and type O blood donations. Appointments can be made by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Get tips on how to prepare and stay safe at redcross.org/hurricane.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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Generous Spirits: Residents Keep Watch for One Another Across Puerto Rico

Editor's note: Volunteer Winnie Romeril from Wheeler, Steuben County, is currently in Puerto Rico supporting the Maria relief efforts. Click here to learn more about the response and how you can help. 

“You can’t get your Red Cross truck up the road to El Salto, it’s too steep,” said the people waiting in line for supplies in the wake of Hurricane Maria’s devastating blow to Puerto Rico. One after another echoed concern for these neighbors who weren’t present for the relief distribution of water, tarps, flashlights, baby formula, hand sanitizer and other items.

“El Salto” consists of 10 remote homes on a hilltop, all made of wood. It’s hard to imagine homes more remote than this valley. San Lorenzo, Morovis, is a town of around 1700 people, nestled deep in the center of the island. Red Cross relief workers drove for hours up and down mostly one lane roads to get here. Toppled electrical poles and broken bamboo forests, recently cleared mudslides and swollen, muddy waterfalls threatened this route around every dizzying, hairpin turn. 

If El Salto homes were all made of wood, this is bad news because the hurricane’s path

Red Cross distribution site in Barrio San Lorenzo

went directly over this area. Additionally, “home made of wood” is practically code for “I have no roof” across Puerto Rico. By and large, cement homes held up better, unless a tree or electrical pole fell on it. Everyone suffered water damage regardless, but Red Cross teams in this area were particularly targeting families missing a roof over their heads.

It’s dusk when the team finishes helping the last families in line. Still, none of the families from El Salto have appeared. Many hours of difficult driving on unlit winding mountain roads to get to a main artery leading to San Juan await the team. Suddenly, a pickup pulls up alongside Red Cross volunteers clearing away boxes and plastic wrapping from around empty pallets of unloaded supplies. “Please take this to another community that needs it more,” the driver points to the back of the truck. 

Volunteer Rut Gonzalez, Distribution Team Lead
in Barrio San Lorenzo

“They received more baby formula than needed by all the mom’s in this town,” explains 20 year-old distribution team lead Rut Gonzalez. “The military dropped it off and now they want the Red Cross to give it to people who are worse off than they are. All the mom’s here with infants say they have enough to feed their babies right now.”

“I am so touched by their selflessness,” reflects Rut, who joined the Red Cross after Hurricane Maria shut down her university. Her uncle is a Red Cross zone leader and encouraged her to get involved. She is working 15-hour days, 6 days a week, riding in the front of a box truck with a Teamsters driver, delivering supplies to town after town. Several cars of Red Cross volunteers together with Teamsters and FDNY volunteers complete each of the 15-20 convoys that spread out across the island each day. The Red Cross has reached every one of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities, but due to the limited supplies available until now on the island, more trucks and supplies are needed to adequately care for every affected community.

Just as the team is about to shut the door on the truck, a woman from El Salto is flagged down by San Lorenzo residents. At the Red Cross team’s request, and at the urging of her valley neighbors, she agrees to deliver 16’x20’ tarps to each of the families. Happy to have succeeded in helping Puerto Rican families people who needed help the most, the community members eagerly loaded the tarps into her car and disperse. As darkness falls in the mountain valley, and the Red Cross departs for San Juan, only the truck’s headlights— and the flashlights the team just handed out— light the night. 

-Story and photos by Winnie Romeril, American Red Cross

High Holidays with Hurricane Harvey in Houston

Editors note--This article was written by Red Cross volunteer Steven Schwartz of Buffalo for the Jewish Journal of WNY.

“Hurricane Harvey TX, DR397-18, hit Texas hard from Corpus Christi all the way up the coast to the Louisiana state line, and inward as far north as Austin in some areas. Flooding in some areas was as much as 8 feet, and in the Corpus Christi area, more structural damage than flooding occurred. “ (Sarah Perkins, Pittsford, NY,  Red Cross Disaster Assessment Lead)

When Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 Storm in Texas early in August, 2017, over one-half million residents were evacuated and 34,000 stayed in 240 Red Cross and partner shelters.  On September 22, I deployed to Texas, joining 160 Red Cross volunteers from Western & Central New York.

I have been a Red Cross volunteer for over seven years, during which time I have deployed to tornadoes in Alabama, storms in Connecticut, wildfires in Northern California, Superstorm Sandy in NY, Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina and “Snowvember” here at home. These efforts literally fulfill the commandment of “Tikkun Olam”, repairing the world. 

A child's thank you letter to the Red Cross in Houston

In Houston, I served as the Lead in Staff & Volunteer Relations, helping to anticipate and resolve problems between and among volunteers.  With thousands of volunteers traveling to a place most had never been, doing things they might not have done, with people they didn’t know, and under difficult circumstances, the major problems were relatively few.  Volunteers worked 12-14 hour days, 7-10 days in a row without a day off.  Many lived in staff shelters.  Despite these hardships and stresses, quality services were delivered and local residents responded gratefully, both personally and in cards and letters.

I had wanted to attend Yom Kippur services while in Houston.  I met Diane Levine, Red Cross Spiritual Care Lead on the disaster, who referred me to Rabbi Steve Morgen from Congregation Beth Yeshurun, the largest Conservative synagogue in the U.S.  He explained that the synagogue had been completely flooded, and although Torah scrolls and other books and materials had been saved, the building was totally unusable.  Joel Osteen had then offered his Lakewood Church to Beth Yeshurun for their High Holiday services.

Jai Lev Dravich (l) and Steven Schwartz at Kol Nidre Services

Jai Lev Dravich, from Santa Cruz, CA, with whom I had worked during Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina, and I attended this remarkable Kol Nidre service.  The huge arena (formerly a pro-hockey stadium) seated thousands of worshippers.  Images of the synagogue’s beautiful tapestries were projected on the sides and back of the bimah.  This was also Rabbi David Rosen’s last Kol Nidre service before his retirement after 22 years as Senior Rabbi.  After his sermon, in an emotional tribute, he was lauded for his wonderful work, and it was announced that the new entrance to the rebuilt synagogue would be dedicated in his honor.  His inspirational words engaged the entire congregation in the efforts to reclaim the synagogue from the flood waters as a physical act of Teshuva, the returning of Beth Yeshurun on Beechnut Street to the congregation.  (To view the devastation and to help, see the website:  www.bethyeshurun.org ).  We returned to our duties knowing we had witnessed an historical event.

Tapestry Projection Congregation Beth Yeshurun

As of mid-October, the Red Cross had provided over $200 million in direct cash assistance to a half million households in Texas alone. Millions of meals, snacks and relief items were delivered and over 100,000 health and mental health services were provided. Six weeks from landfall, only two Red Cross shelters remained open, serving 700 residents. Over 1000 Red Cross disaster volunteers remained in Texas at that time.  Additional efforts for Harvey extended into Louisiana.

Clean up supplies in a Houston warehouse to be distributed to
help families recovering after Hurricane Harvey

Overall, 16,000 Red Cross volunteers opened shelters ineight states, Puerto Rico and the U. S. Virgin Islands in response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate.  They were joined by over 6,000 spontaneous volunteers.  Your voluntary donations supported these efforts.  The average cost of deploying a volunteer is $1650, and my friends and family raised nearly that amount. 

To respond to local disasters, the Federation helped to establish the Buffalo Jewish Service Corps (BJSC).  Over 70 members of the Buffalo Jewish community have received training in preparedness, psychological first aid and sheltering in preparation of a local response.  The last training also included members of the local Muslim community.  If you are interested in being a part of BJSC,  please contact Steven Schwartz (stevens@localnet.com), or  for more information about or becoming a Red Cross volunteer, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer.