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

 

 

Preparedness month... day 27!

It's preparedness month! And we’re celebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! If you’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!!

Photo courtesy of tulsachange.com

Preparedness Tip #27
Floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters in terms of human hardship and economic loss. As much as 90 percent of the damage related to all natural disasters (excluding draught) is caused by floods and associated debris flow.
Most communities in the United States can experience some kind of flooding. Melting snow can combine with rain in the winter and early spring; severe thunderstorms can bring heavy rain in the spring or summer; or hurricanes can bring intense rainfall to coastal and inland states in the summer and fall. 
Regardless of how a flood occurs, the rule for being safe is simple: head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater. Even a shallow depth of fast-moving floodwater produces more force than most people imagine. 
You can protect yourself by being prepared and having time to act. Local radio or television stations or a NOAA Weather Radio are the best sources of information in a flood situation.

Preparedness month... day 22!

It's preparedness month! And we’recelebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! Ifyou’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!!

Photo courtesy of whatscookinginamerica.net

Preparedness Tip #22
When water is of questionable purity, it is easiest to use bottled water for drinking and cooking if it is available. When it’s not available, it is important to know how to treat contaminated water. 
In addition to having a bad odor and taste, water from questionable sources may be contaminated by a variety of microorganisms, including, bacteria and parasites that cause diseases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis. 
All water of uncertain purity should be treated before use.
Use one or a combination of these treatments:

--Filter: Filter the water using a piece of cloth or coffee filter to remove solid particles.

--Boil: Bring it to a rolling boil for about one full minute. Cool it and pour it back and forth between two clean containers to improve its taste before drinking it.

--Chlorinate:

--Add 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Stir to mix. Sodium hypochlorite of the concentration of 5.25% to 6% should be the only active ingredient in the bleach. There should not be any added soap or fragrances. A major bleach manufacturer has also added Sodium Hydroxide as an active ingredient, which they state does not pose a health risk for water treatment.

--Let stand 30 minutes.

--If it smells of chlorine. You can use it. If it does not smell of chlorine, add 16 more drops (1/8 teaspoon) of chlorine bleach per gallon of water, let stand 30 minutes, and smell it again. If it smells of chlorine, you can use it. If it does not smell of chlorine, discard it and find another source of water.

--Flood water can also be contaminated by toxic chemicals. Do NOT try to treat flood water.

Because of you

Tornadoes can come and go with little warning, causing a family to lose their home in an instant.  Families often have time to prepare for floods, but when the flood waters finally come in, they come in fast. In these darkest of times, individuals and families turned to the American Red Cross and its generous donors like you for shelter, food, emotional support, and emergency assistance. Missouri residents whose lives were turned upside down by the tornado were given vital necessities such as hot meals and snacks, hygiene kits, and health and mental health support. More than 390.000 meals and snacks were served at shelters and throughout the communities by Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles that were circulating through affected communities. American Red Cross President and CEO visited Joplin in the early days of the response. Moved by what she saw, she explained,

“The devastation that I have seen is truly indescribable. Everywhere you look, buildings are toppled, homes are destroyed, things are in shards, and the community is working so hard to recover and bounce back. It’s heartbreaking, and I’m very very proud of what the American Red Cross is doing to help the people of Joplin. We have a shelter stood up where we are feeding and sheltering people who have lost everything. We have Emergency Response Vehicles that are driving through communities, delivering food, meals, snacks, clean-up kits, comfort kits. We have mental health counselors here providing psycho-social support for the people of Joplin. It is a massive undertaking.”

Photo courtesy of the International Buisness Times

As the Red Cross met the immediate needs of the people affected, Disaster Assessment (DA) teams were sent out to determine resources and staff that would be necessary for an efficient and effective response. Red Cross DA teams visited thousands of homes to determine the effect on residents and to make sure we help. Caseworkers are following up with these affected residents to help them get their lives back on track.

As of June 27, 2011, the Red Cross has:

• Opened 33 shelters for affected residents

• Provided nearly 8,200 overnight shelter stays

• Served more than 390,000 meals and snacks

• Distributed more than 5,000 hygiene kits and clean-up kits, which includes essential items such as mops, dust masks, and gloves.

• Provided approximately 175,000 bulk items, such as rakes and tarps

• Enlisted the hard work of approximately 1,350 Red Cross workers

• Deployed 36 Emergency Response Vehicles

• Consulted nearly 15,000 affected residents on their health and mental health needs.

With your support, the Red Cross can be there for families and individuals affected by disasters. Thank you for helping us continue this life saving work. Your support is critical to providing a safe, warm and dry place to stay, food, emotional support and many other kinds of assistance- whenever and wherever disaster strikes. 

To learn how you can help, visit us online at www.buffaloredcross.org.

Article and data courtesy of The American Red Cross.