Local Red Cross Responds to 11 Fires over Holidays

Disaster Action Team assisting 40 residents of Erie and Niagara Counties

BUFFALO, NY, January 2, 2013 – The American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties responded to 11 separate fires between December 21, 2012 and January 1, 2013. Volunteers and staff members from the Disaster Action Team (DAT) sacrificed a portion of their Holiday week to provide immediate emergency assistance to 40 local residents affected by these incidents, which are listed below.

Red Cross assistance typically includes vouchers for temporary housing, food and clothing, as well as providing emotional support for those displaced by the fire. The affected families then meet with caseworkers in the days following their respective disasters to work out a longer-term recovery plan.

The Disaster Action Team is a group of specially trained volunteers who respond to the scene of a local disaster when called upon 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For more information on becoming Disaster Action Team member, please call (716) 878-2140 or visit www.redcross.org/ny/buffalo/volunteer.

Nationally, the American Red Cross responds to as many as 170 home fires a day. As temperatures drop, the Red Cross offers several safety tips to avoid home fires this winter.

The American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties spends an average of just over $1,000 when responding to a single house fire affecting a family of four.  To make a financial donation to help families such as these affected by house fires and other disasters down the street, across the country, or around the world, please visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-REDCROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to charge a $10 donation to your cell phone bill.

AMERICAN RED CROSS, SERVING ERIE AND NIAGARA COUNTIES
RECENT FIRE RESPONSES:

·         12/21: Prospect Avenue, Buffalo; 4 clients

·         12/22: Eller Avenue, Buffalo; 7 clients

·         12/22: Pyle Court, Tonawanda; 3 clients

·         12/23: Williamtowne Court, Cheektowaga; 1 client

·         12/23: Gates Avenue, Lackawanna; 5 clients

·         12/24: Margaret Road, Amherst; 6 clients

·         12/24: Pletcher Road, Youngstown; 5 clients

·         12/26: Pleasant Avenue, Hamburg; 0 clients

·         12/27: Dodge Street, Buffalo; 6 clients

·         12/29: Edison Avenue, Buffalo; 2 clients

·         12/31: Krull Parkway, Niagara Falls; 1 client