Make Preparedness Your Holiday Gift and Resolution!

Coming off a large-scale disaster like Western New York's recent #WinterStormKnife, this may be hard to believe. But the Red Cross responded to more house fires this year than any other type of disaster. Combined.

In the past week, the Central New York Chapter has provided assistance to 46 people who have been displaced from theirhomes by fires. In the past 24 hours, the Greater Rochester Chapter has responded to three separate fires, helping ten people. Yesterday afternoon, I joined Disaster Action Team volunteer Dennis as we assisted two people after a fire in Buffalo. While there was no media coverage like we saw during "Snowvember", all you had to do was look up at the sky where their roof was before the fire to realize this was truly a disaster for these people, especially coming so close to the holidays.

Between January 1 and December 1, 2014, the Red Cross provided food, clothing, shelter, comfort and hope to 3,381 people in Western and Central New York who had nowhere else to turn after a house fire. Tragically, we have also had 34 fire-related deaths in 2014. 

Disaster Action Team volunteer Dennis at a fire on
Bissell in Buffalo December 22

The Red Cross has launched a campaign to reduce the number of home fire deaths and injuries nationwide by 25 percent over the next five years. We are asking every household to take two simple steps: check your existing smoke alarms, and practice fire drills at home.

Don't have a smoke alarm? Part of the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign is to work with fire departments and community groups nationwide to install smoke alarms. Call (585) 241-4405 for more information about how you could have a free smoke alarm installed in your home!

http://prepare.ny.gov/online-citizen-preparedness-training

As we prepared to flip the calendar to 2015, why not resolve to make your family better prepared for emergencies, including house fires? The Red Cross has also partnered with New York State to offer the Citizen Preparedness Corps program. In just 15 minutes, this online course will give you the knowledge and tools to prepare for disasters (just make sure you choose "Red Cross" from the referral dropdown menu!). You can also schedule a free, in-person Prepare, Respond, Recover: What to do When Disaster Strikes presentation at your school, business or organization. A trained representative will present the one-hour program, providing a comprehensive overview on how to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

As if making your loved ones safer isn't enough of a holiday gift, all Western & Central NY Region in-person Citizen Preparedness Corps class registrants before March 31 will be entered to win one of two FREE generators! For more information on the Home Fire Preparedness campaign, Citizen Preparedness Corps, and how you could get a free smoke alarm or win a free generator, contact Individual and Community Preparedness Specialist Veronica Chiesi Brown at (585) 241-4405.

Let's work together to make 2015 Western and Central New York's safest year yet. That would truly be a gift that keeps on giving!

Red Cross Opening or Supporting Additional Storm Shelters Across WNY

The American Red Cross is opening or supporting partner shelters across Western New York in response to the ongoing lake effect snow event. Volunteers will have food, water, blankets, cots and additional support available at the following locations:

·         Alexander Fireman’s Recreation Hall
10708 Alexander Road, Alexander

·         Cheektowaga Senior Center (providing blankets only)
3349 Broadway, Cheektowaga

·         Depew Senior Center
85 Manitou Street, Depew

·         Fredonia High School
425 East Main Road, Fredonia

·         Lackawanna Senior Center
234 Martin Road, Lackawanna

·         Lancaster Fire Department (providing food only)
525 Pavement Road, Lancaster

·         Orchard Park Fire District
30 School Street, Orchard Park

·         Ripley Fire Hall
11 South State Street, Ripley

As this lake event snow event continues, Red Cross staff and volunteers remain in contact with emergency officials from across Western New York and are ready to respond as needed. 

The Red Cross urges everyone to heed travel warnings and stay off the roads if possible. Additional winter storm safety tips are available at www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm. 

Volunteers also responded to two separate fires in Monroe County on Monday, November 17, providing immediate emergency assistance to four people. Our Disaster Action Team volunteers provided lodging for one survivor after a fire on Creekview Drive in Chili. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy, the 30^th fire-related death in the 17-county Western New York/Finger Lakes Region in 2014. Our volunteers also provided food and lodging for two adults and a child after a fire on Boughton Hill Road in Mendon.

The American Red Cross, Western New York Chapter provides an average of just over $1,000 in direct financial assistance when responding to a single family house fire affecting a family of four. Anyone wishing to help people affected by fires, winter storms or other disasters is asked to consider donating to the Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-REDCROSS, visiting www.redcross.org, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to charge a $10 donation to their cell phone bill.

Putting things into perspective

The Red Cross is an incredible organization that does amazing work, but for those of us fortunate enough to work here, there are days when it presents the same frustrations as any other job. Unlike other places, however, the Red Cross often snaps you back into reality and reminds you why we work so hard for our communities.

Sunday morning, our Buffalo DAT volunteers responded to two separate fires in Orchard Park and on Fillmore Ave in the City. The latter was an especially difficult situation, as a seven-year-old lost his life in the fire. Such tragedies unfortunately heighten the media interest, and Sunday afternoon I received a call from a local television station looking for more information on how the Red Cross is helping the family deal with this unthinkable situation. Because our volunteers were no longer on the scene and my wife had gone to the movies, the reporter came to my house. Doing an interview from your front step about a fire that claimed a seven-year-old while your own seven-year-old is watching intently from the window really puts things into perspective. I can't begin to imagine what this family is going through, but I am so proud to be a small part of an organization that brings some hope and comfort to these neighbors and countless others like them each day.

Unfortunately, this situation is not unique. In the first three months of 2014, there have been ten fire deaths in the 17 counties that make up our Western New York/Finger Lakes Region. In an effort to change those statistics, the Red Cross is hosting eight "Team Firestoppers" events across the Region this Saturday. Working with Project Paradigm and the Children's Fire & Burn Fund, volunteers will be providing people in high-risk communities with potentially lifesaving fire safety and emergency preparedness information. We'll also be providing 800 free smoke detectors to help make these families safer. If we can help prevent even just one tragic story like those above, it will be well worth the effort.

Red Cross Assists 110 People in Erie and Niagara Counties Following Fires in February

During Red Cross Month, Honor the Everyday Heroes Who Help Our Community

BUFFALO, NY, February 28, 2013 — During Red Cross Month this March, the American Red Cross recognizes the nation’s Everyday Heroes who give of themselves and in some way help their community. Those heroes include everyone who volunteers to be part of our Disaster Action Team (DAT), which has responded to 21 separate fires in Erie and Niagara Counties in February, providing immediate emergency assistance to 110 people.

“Please remember those who help all of us here in Western New York by giving their time to help their neighbor,” said Kenneth Turner, Chief Programs Officer. “We want to thank all our heroes during Red Cross Month – our volunteers, blood donors, class takers and financial supporters who help us assist those in need.” 

DAT volunteer Diane Sargent on the scene of
a fire on Cazenovia St in Buffalo on February 23

Red Cross assistance following a fire typically includes vouchers for temporary housing, food and clothing, as well as emotional support from trained Disaster Mental Health volunteers. On Friday, February 22, volunteers opened a shelter for more than 27 residents displaced when their Forest Avenue apartment house in Buffalo was destroyed by fire. Earlier that morning, DAT volunteers responded to a call on Timon Street in Buffalo to assist ten people, and the Red Cross continues to support those affected by this tragic fire which claimed the lives of a young child and his mother. The Disaster Action Team was called to a third fire later that afternoon on Rose Street in Buffalo. Those are just three of the 11 fires volunteers have responded to in Erie County in February. During that same time frame, 35 Niagara County residents have received Red Cross assistance following ten separate fires.

The Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters a year in this country, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. It provides 24-hour support to members of the military, veterans and their families – in war zones, military hospitals and on military installations around the world; collects and distributes about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply and trains more than seven million people in first aid, water safety and other life-saving skills every year.

March was first proclaimed as Red Cross Month 70 years ago by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Since 1943, every president, including President Obama, has designated March as Red Cross Month. The American Red Cross is synonymous with helping people, and has been doing so for more than 130 years.

“Red Cross Month is a great time for people to become part of the Red Cross and there are many different ways to do it,” Turner said. “They can develop a preparedness plan for their household, become a Red Cross volunteer, give blood, or take a Red Cross class, just to name a few.”

The Red Cross is not a government agency and relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work. An average of 91 cents of every dollar given to the Red Cross is invested in helping people in need.

For more information on how to become an Everyday Hero during Red Cross Month, please visit www.redcross.org/buffaloniagara. 

Responding to Tragedy in Wilson

UPDATE: The latest information on how the Red Cross continues to assist the family through this tragic situation is available on our Chapter website. In addition, Communications Coordinator Jay Bonafede discussed the support the Red Cross is providing on WBFO radio, and Sr. Director of Emergency Services Ken Turner was interviewed by WGRZ-Channel 2 Thursday afternoon. Again, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy, and we will continue to provide for the immediate emergency and emotional needs of the family.

Many of us woke up this morning to the news of a massive house explosion that leveled a home in the Niagara County community of Wilson. Throughout the morning, the news unfortunately got worse, as it was later reported that a young girl lost her life in the blast, and four other family members needed to be hospitalized. Two other children were apparently not at home at the time.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and everyone affected by this morning's tragedy, and the Red Cross stands ready to provide for the family's immediate emergency needs. Earlier today, staff members Mark Dashner and Lisa Taibi went to the scene to talk to Emergency Management officials, while Sr. Director of Emergency Services Ken Turner, State Disaster Mental Health Advisor Tara Hughes and I went to ECMC, where the survivors are being treated for their injuries. We were not able to meet directly with the family, but were heartened to see they had a support network including friends and community members on hand. Ken and Tara were able to speak to the family's Pastor to make sure everyone was aware of the services the Red Cross has available, and we will meet directly with the family as soon possible.

As the family heals from their physical injuries and leave the hospital, the American Red Cross is ready to provide temporary housing, food and clothing as needed. Tara and her team will also be offering mental health counseling to the surviving family members.

As is often the case following a tragic situation, the community steps up to help, and the Red Cross relies on the generosity of the public to perform our mission. If you would like to assist not only those affected by today's tragedy in Wilson, but also help us be ready the next time disaster strikes, please consider making a donation to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by clicking here, calling 1-800-REDCROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.