The Importance of Being Prepared

Unfortunately, between fires, drownings and even a possible tornado, we've had several recent incidents across the Western New York/Finger Lakes Region that remind us that disaster can strike anywhere, anytime. These tragedies are why we preach emergency preparedness and encourage everyone to take steps now to keep their family safe.

The most recent incident occurred late Tuesday evening, when a storm tore the roof off at least one home and knocked out power for hundreds in the Chemung County town of Baldwin. As the National Weather Service investigates to see if the damage was caused by a possible tornado, (UPDATE: The National Weather Service has since confirmed that a tornado did touch down in Baldwin) Red Cross Disaster Assessment volunteers are also on the ground, gathering the information we'll need to help the community recover from this storm.

Unfortunately, Upstate New York is become all too familiar with tornadoes this summer, and one way to prepare is to download the FREE Red Cross Tornado App. In addition to severe weather alerts that will let your family know when to take cover, the app also provides safety tips so you're family will know what to do if a storm rolls into your area.

The long holiday weekend also provided a tragic reminder of the importance of water safety after three drownings in Erie County. The summer may be coming to a close, but pools are still open, and natural bodies of water never close. Please, do whatever you can to help prevent these unthinkable tragedies. Make sure that you and your family learn to swim and take the proper safety precautions. Take a CPR/First Aid class and download the free First Aid app to help help you respond if an emergency does occur.

And the Labor Day weekend provided no break for our volunteers, who have responded to eight fires in Erie, Niagara and Orleans Counties alone since Saturday, providing food, clothing, comfort and support for 32 people, including four Tuesday evening in Lyndonville.

The American Red Cross is currently partnering with New York State to offer Governor Andrew Cuomo's Citizen Preparedness Corps training program, "Prepare, Respond, Recover: What to do When Disaster Strikes." The program provides residents with the tools and knowledge to prepare for emergencies and disasters, respond accordingly and recover to pre-disaster conditions as quickly as possible. If you'd like to help your community stay safe by scheduling a Citizen Preparedness Corps training at your school, business or other organization, please email Justin Pitts or call (716) 878-2238.

The Red Cross Always Responds

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the American Red Cross is always there. It may be because we don’t necessarily hear about it every day and like most things when you don’t hear about it you forget.

 

In the midst of weeks of unsettled weather and the busyness of summer, volunteers were hard at work in the Finger Lakes and Wayne County. Below is a list of incidents our volunteers responded to and provided help to those in need.

 

July 29^th:

·         Volunteers assisted two adults with food and housing after a single family home collapsed on West River Road in Waterloo, Seneca County

·         Volunteers assisted two families (two adults and six children) with food, clothing and transportation after an apartment building hazmat incident on West Bayard Street in Seneca Falls, Seneca County.

July 31^st:

·         Volunteers assisted two adults and one child with food following an apartment fire on West Main Street in Palmyra, Wayne County

August 2nd:

·          Volunteers assisted two adults and one child with food and housing after a tree fell onto a home on West Maple Street in Newark during a thunderstorm.

August 3rd:

·         Volunteers assisted two adults, six children and one infant with food, clothing and housing after their home flooded on Seybolt Road in Seneca Falls, Seneca County.

·         Volunteers assisted two adults and one child with food and housing after their home flooded on East Elisha Street in Waterloo, Seneca County.
 

Incidents from house fires to floods happen often and the Red Cross is always there. It is not a question of if they respond, it is when. As long as the need is there, volunteers will be there too. The good work these people do is made possible through and only through the generosity of donors. Please consider being a volunteer or making a donation to the Red Cross to help people like these who need help when the unexpected happens.

 

How You Can Help

 

 

-Veronica R. Chiesi Brown
Communications Specialist
American Red Cross WNY/Finger Lakes Region

 

 

Eight Regional Volunteers Deployed to Assist in Response to Major Storms

Diane Sargent of Lockport and Pete Swales of Springville
fill out paperwork prior to deploying to Pensacola, FL to
do Disaster Assessment in flooded regions

The American Red Cross response to this week’s devastating floods and tornadoes stretches across 13 states where Red Cross workers are providing shelter, food, health and mental health services to people impacted by the storm.

As people begin the monumental task this weekend of starting to clean up their neighborhoods, the Red Cross will be handing out relief supplies like brooms, buckets, gloves, shovels, rakes and tarps throughout many affected communities.

Disaster Mental Health volunteers Marianna Elliott of Hamburg and Sue Olexenko of Amherst will be deploying to Arkansas on Saturday to provide emotional support for affected residents there. A total of eight volunteers from across the 17-county Western New York/Finger Lakes Region have been deployed to assist in the Red Cross response these to these devastating storms. A full list is below.

NAME	HOMETOWN	DEPLOYMENT LOCATION	DATE	ACTIVITY
Robert Barton	Savannah	Mississippi	05/01	Mass Care/Feeding
Marianna Elliott	Hamburg	Arkansas	05/03	Disaster Mental Health
Sue Olexenko	Amherst	Arkansas	05/03	Disaster Mental Health
Dr. Alani Santos	Brighton	Arkansas	05/01	Disaster Health Services
Diane Sargent	Lockport	Florida	05/02	Disaster Assessment
Ferris Todd	Canandaigua	Arkansas	05/02	Disaster Mental Health
Pete Swales	Springville	Florida	05/02	Disaster Assessment
Tom Wallace	Elmira	Mississippi	05/02	Disaster Mental Health

Red Cross workers are helping people in Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and North Carolina. Hundreds of people are staying in Red Cross and community shelters in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi and North Carolina. Red Cross workers also are providing meals, health and mental health services.

  

In total, more than 1,200 trained Red Cross workers and 60 emergency vehicles are helping in the hardest hit communities. As of Friday, volunteers have already served more than 70,000 meals and snacks, and handed out 11,000 essential relief items to people in need.

The Red Cross will be on the ground for weeks supporting those affected. As people begin to recover from the storm, Red Cross workers will join with local community partners to provide additional services. For example, in some areas the Red Cross will help to open community resource centers bringing all of the organizations and agencies together in one convenient location to help those affected. Red Cross caseworkers will also meet one-on-one with people to create recovery plans, navigate paperwork and locate help from other agencies.

HOW TO HELP Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like tornadoes, floods and other crises can make a donation to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. 

Sorry, Jimmy Griffin!

Volunteers Pete Peterson and Mary Walker at a shelter
in Southwestern New York

During the Blizzard of 1985, former Buffalo Mayor Jimmy Griffin said, "Stay inside, grab a six-pack and watch a good football game." Unfortunately, during the "Polar Vortex" of 2014, our staff and volunteers from across the Western New York and Finger Lakes Regions haven't exactly had time to do that.

In Rochester, we opened nine shelters as part of the City's "Heat Sweep" program. Working in the 50 Prince Street office, it was amazing to see how quickly the volunteers came together to honor this request from City Hall to help our neighbors in need. On the western end of our region, staff and volunteers opened shelters in Ripley and Irving to help travelers stranded by Thruway and other road closures come in out of the cold. Over 70 people spend Monday night at Red Cross shelters, and warming stations were also opened in Wellsville and Cuba.

Of course, our response to this winter weather didn't end with sheltering. In Rochester, a reporter called me about an international family stranded at the airport by flight diversions and cancellations until Friday. Our emergency services team worked with the airline to ensure this story had a happy ending.

Coffee and water ready for residents at Gantt Center shelter
in Rochester (courtesy of Wegmans)

And much like the post office, neither snow nor bitter cold can stop our volunteers from helping those in need after a fire. We provided assistance including Disaster Mental Health services to three survivors of a fire in Niagara Falls, helped 11 people after an Orchard Park apartment fire, and 11 people--including some who were apparently part of a heroic rescue effort by first responders--in Middleport. Whether or not our bitter cold weather was a factor in these incidents, the Western New York and Finger Lakes Regions have responded to 10 fires since Monday, helping over 50 people who lost everything in the blink of an eye.

We are only able to provide this vital service to the community because of your support, so THANK YOU to all or our supporters, and of course the volunteers who braved the elements to help our neighbors in need this week. And don't worry, we're still ready to respond if necessary after the upcoming flood watch as well!

Giving Thanks for Safe Winter Travels!

In case you couldn't tell by the frigid temperatures and the snow some of us saw this weekend, winter is here. Just to make sure that point is hammered home, all of Western  New York is under a Winter Storm Watch from Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening. While six inches of snow may not be enough to scare us hearty Western New Yorkers, history tells us we'd do well to make sure we're prepared.

Warming station for stranded drivers at the Cheektowaga
Senior Center on 12/1/10

This is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, with over 43 million Americans expected to hit the roads. During Thanksgiving week 13 years ago, I was working at Channel 7 when this happened. Looking outside the downtown Buffalo studios, the streets looked like a war zone, with abandoned cars spread across the highways, blocking travel even for those trying to brave the massive snowstorm. Thousands were stranded. I spent the night with dozens of stranded travelers in the lobby of the hotel across the street, since every room had long been filled by other stranded travelers. I was only a month into my Red Cross career when a lake effect snowstorm forced the closure of parts of the Thruway near Cheektowaga on December 1, 2010, giving me my first shelter experience as we set up a warming station for the thousands of stranded motorists. (It wasn't over the holidays, but I was also a senior in the Marion Jr-Sr High School when an ice storm knocked out power to thousands and kept us out of school for a week in 1991. Not to date myself or anything...)

Volunteers serve a hot meal to drivers, some of whom had
been stranded over 24 hours when a snowstorm closed
portions of the Thruway in December 2010

It's almost as if winter storms are part of the Thanksgiving tradition in this region. And even if you can handle the snowy driving, other drivers or road closures can still leave you stuck. Try to wait until things are clear to hit the roads--I'm sure your family will keep the turkey warm for you. But if you must drive in wintry conditions, here's some safety tips to help you arrive safely:

• Pack emergency supplies like blankets, water and snacks, flashlight and first aid kit.
• Vehicles should be in good working order before heading out. Fill the fuel tank, check air pressure in tires and top-off windshield fluid.
• Buckle up and obey all traffic signs.
• Avoid distractions while driving like using mobile phones to talk or text.
• Designate a driver who won’t be drinking whenever alcohol is served.

If your using planes and trains instead of automobiles this Thanksgiving, we've got some safety tips for you as well. And of course, this is just the beginning of the winter season, so make sure you're prepared to make it through the snow at home and on the roads!

Western New York/Finger Lakes Red Cross Assisting 26 People Following Weekend Disasters

Volunteers providing shelter, food, clothing and support after six incidents

BUFFALO, NY, November 4, 2013 – American Red Cross volunteers are assisting with the immediate emergency needs of 26 people following six separate fires or other disasters in the Western New York/Finger Lakes Regions over the weekend. Red Cross assistance typically includes vouchers for temporary housing, food and clothing as well as mental health support. The families will then meet with caseworkers at their local Red Cross headquarters to develop a long-term recovery plan. Several of these incidents took place at multi-unit buildings, so it is possible additional residents will come forward seeking assistance.

Fire scene on Steuben St. in Corning.
Photo courtesy Corning Leader

On Saturday, volunteers from the Disaster Action Team (DAT) were called to Gasport Road in Lockport, where they assisted two adults affected by a house fire. Also Saturday, volunteers assisted three people displaced after a car drove through their Williams Street home in Elmira. Sunday, DAT members assisted seven people after an apartment fire on Steuben Street in Corning. Also Sunday, volunteers responded to a fire at the Russo Building on Park Place in Fredonia, assisting 11 people who had been displaced, while a separate team of volunteers assisted two people following a fire on Webster Road in Brocton. Early Monday morning, DAT members responded to the scene of a fire on North Division in Buffalo to provide assistance to one person that had been displaced.

The American Red Cross spends an average of just over $1,000 when responding to a single house fire affecting a family of four.  To support people affected by house fires and other disasters, please consider making a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund at www.redcross.org, by calling 1-800-REDCROSS, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation (charges will appear on your cell phone bill).

American Red Cross Relief Efforts Continue One Year After Sandy

WNY/Finger Lakes volunteers filled over 160 positions in response

A Red Cross volunteer assesses the damage in the Sea Gate
neighborhood near Coney Island

BUFFALO, NY, October 29, 2013 – The American Red Cross has released a one-year Superstorm Sandy report detailing its response and recovery work to help residents affected by this historic storm, which made landfall on October 29, 2012.

Initially, local Disaster Services staff and volunteers began mobilizing days earlier to prepare for a storm that was initially predicted to bring severe weather to the Western New York and Finger Lakes Regions. Once it became clear that this area had largely been spared, attention turned to helping the millions of people devastated by Sandy along the East Coast. Volunteers from the Western New York and Finger Lakes Regions helped fill over 160 positions in the relief efforts, with most local volunteers working in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey.

The One-Year Superstorm Sandy Report details the extraordinary measures taken by the Red Cross to respond to Sandy, from volunteer deployment and relief efforts to temporary and permanent housing assistance to key partnerships with government and non-government entities, as well as the strong outpouring of support from donors.

Red Cross clean up kits are distributed to residents in
Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood

The Red Cross met Sandy’s significant damage with its largest U.S. response in five years. More than 17,000 trained workers from all over the country – 90 percent of them volunteers, powered the massive emergency relief effort. This response included:

•         Serving more than 17.5 million meals and snacks in a huge feeding operation.
•        Handing out more than 7 million relief items such as cold weather items and clean-up supplies.
•        Providing nearly 113,000 health services and emotional support contacts for people who have been living in very tough conditions.
•        Providing 74,000 overall shelter stays for Sandy.

“Donations to the Red Cross have helped countless families start over in a new place to live, clean out the mold from their water-logged homes, or get much-needed financial and emotional support to rebuild their homes and lives,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the Red Cross. “The needs are still great, and there is more work to do. We are committed to continue working with the communities that were impacted by this devastating storm to provide services and support.”

RECOVERY EFFORTS ONGOING Even as its emergency relief work was occurring, the Red Cross began to help people in the long recovery process that continues today. Trained Red Cross workers are meeting with those in need, providing case management and financial assistance to help with security and utility deposits, home repairs and rent as well as linking them to available social service programs.

Western New York and Finger Lakes Regional CEO Nancy Blaschak served as Interim Director of the Long Term Recovery Project in New York City and Long Island at the beginning of 2013. The Red Cross has worked together with government and community partners at every step to provide assistance to those that need it most. In addition, the Red Cross has given $60 million in grants to a number of nonprofits working in New Jersey and New York to help people with home repairs, mold remediation, food, financial assistance and financial counseling, and to support the work of community roundtables to help address unmet needs.

THANK YOU The work of the Red Cross is possible because of the compassion and generosity of the American public, and the Red Cross already has spent or made commitments to spend $280 million, more than 90 percent of the $308 million donated for Sandy. The Red Cross expects to use the biggest share of the remaining money to help people with a range of housing-related expenses, support community resiliency programs and give more grants to community non-profit partners to help Sandy survivors.

“We are grateful for the generosity of donors across the nation who continually make it possible for the Red Cross to respond to once-in-a-generation disasters like Sandy, as well as the 70,000 disasters we confront each year,” McGovern said.

The report and other information on the Red Cross Sandy relief and recovery efforts can be found at www.redcross.org/sandy-response.

Niagara Falls Emergency Response Vehicle Deploying to CNY for Flooding Response

Third ERV from WNY/Finger Lakes Regions to assist in relief efforts

BUFFALO, NY, July 8, 2013 – The American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties is deploying an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV), based in Niagara Falls, to the Central New York region to assist in the ongoing relief efforts following massive flooding in the area. Volunteers Joy Bidlack of East Aurora and Diane Sargent of Lockport will be meeting the ERV at the Chapter’s Administrative Headquarters at 786 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo Monday at approximately 9:30am and driving to the Utica headquarters to receive specific assignments.

Flooding in Oneida as seen by
Diane Sargent last week.

This is the third ERV from the Western New York and Finger Lakes Regions to deploy to the Utica area to assist in this response. The ERVs, including those deployed earlier from Jamestown and Rochester, will deliver food, water, clean-up kits and other supplies directly into some of the hardest-hit areas. Through Saturday night, the American Red Cross had provided 315 overnight shelter stays, nearly 20,000 meals and snacks, and more than 2,100 clean-up kits and comfort kids to residents affected by the floods.

The American Red Cross on Sunday continued mobile feeding in Oneida and Herkimer Counties, and it will provide mobile feeding and mobile distribution of clean-up supplies in the city of Oneida Monday.

Also on Sunday, the Red Cross closed its shelter at the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley at 701 Seneca St., Oneida. Other Red Cross shelters that were opened last week have been closed. The Red Cross has shelters on standby if more flooding creates the need for additional shelters.

A total of 28 volunteers from the Western New York and Finger Lakes Regions have been deployed to assist in this relief effort, with one additional volunteer deploying to Arizona to assist in the ongoing wildfire relief efforts there. This also marks Diane Sargent’s second deployment as part of the Central New York relief efforts. A full list of deployed volunteers is below, listed in order of their deployment date (two ERV drivers from Southwestern New York have asked to remain anonymous):

Stephen Erbland	Dansville	Logistics
Ari Gottlib	Rochester	Logistics
Michael Hoplight	Niagara Falls	External Relations
Tony Muscolino	Finger Lakes	External Relations
Sarah Perkins	Pittsford	Disaster Assessment
Diane Sargent	Lockport	Disaster Assessment/ERV
Gary Thompson	Finger Lakes	Disaster Assessment
Mary Walls	Williamsville	Disaster Assessment (Returned Home)
Patricia Jung	Wellsville	Staff Services
Stuart Moore	Allegany	Sheltering
Marianne Evans	Ransomville	Sheltering
Jennifer Godbout	Olean	Sheltering
Norm Kehl	Stykersville	Disaster Assessment
Carmella Bartimole	Olean	Disaster Mental Health
Edward Steinhauer	Elmira	Disaster Assessment
Emily Upham	Rochester	Health Services
Tom Daley	Tonawanda	Client Casework
Ruth Walters	Bath	Disaster Assessment
Kenneth Turner	Buffalo	Operations Management
Elizabeth Shook	Cuba	Staff Services
Leslie Mangano	Stow	Client Casework
Peggy McGee-Smith	Kenmore	Disaster Mental Health (Arizona)
Sharon Scarafia-Kimble	Lockport	Bulk Distribution
Arline Cookingham	Webster	Health Services
Joe Louis	Rochester	Staff Services
Joy Bidlack	East Aurora	ERV
Stephen Brown	Finger Lakes	Staff Services

HOW TO HELP Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like floods, wild fires and other crises can make a donation to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations help provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters.