Preparedness doesn't end with September

As we get ready to turn flip the calender from September to October, we also prepare to close the book on another National Preparedness Month. That doesn't mean our focus on preparing our families for emergencies should be closed with it, however.

Just look at what happened last weekend. Disaster Action Team volunteers responded to 16 fires across our 17-county Region between Thursday and Tuesday. None of those families knew ahead of time that an emergency was about to turn their lives upside-down. But of course, we do know what happens as we continue to flip calendar pages towards the winter months. You may not want to think about "Polar Vortexes" when the sun is shining and temperatures are in the 70s, but now is the time to prepare for the inevitable winter weather.

The American Red Cross has partnered with New York State to offer the Citizen Preparedness Corps training, a free one-hour session that provides a comprehensive overview on how to prepare for, respond to and recover from both natural and man-made disasters. A number of sessions have already been scheduled across the region, including next Saturday, October 4, during the North Tonawanda Fall Festival and Craft Show. Thanks to the support of the East Hill Foundation, every family that attends either the 1pm or 3pm session will receive a free fire extinguisher, smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector!

If you can't make it to North Tonawanda, a full list of Citizen Preparedness Corps trainings will soon be available on our website. You can also schedule a free, one-hour training at your business, school or organization by contacting Justin Pitts or calling (716) 878-2238. You may not get some of the freebies at the other sessions, but you will receive information that could save your family's life, and isn't that reason enough?

Busy weekend for our amazing volunteers!

Volunteers set up refreshments in shelter
at North Tonawanda HS

Volunteers from the American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties provided immediate emergency assistance for 19 people following four separate fires in less than 24 hours this weekend.

Members of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) were called to two storm-related fires in the early morning hours on Saturday, assisting a family of five after a tree fell on their Austin Street home in Buffalo and started a small fire, and assisting an elderly man after his Lackawanna trailer home was destroyed by fire. Before 3pm Saturday, DAT volunteers had responded to two calls in Niagara Falls, assisting three adults and a child after a fire on LaSalle Avenue in and seven adults and two children after a separate blaze on 5^th Street. Red Cross assistance typically includes vouchers for temporary housing, food and clothing as well as emotional support. Clients will then meet with caseworkers to begin working on a long-term recovery plan.

Thankfully, we did not need to unload the cots from this
trailer, but they were ready at North Tonawanda HS
just in case

Meanwhile, volunteers opened a shelter at approximately 10:30am Saturday at North Tonawanda High School at the request of Emergency Management officials for residents flooded and left without power following Friday night’s storms. No clients sought assistance at the shelter before it was closed Saturday afternoon, but the Red Cross remained in contact with Emergency Management officials from across the region to assess needs throughout the weekend.

All Red Cross is assistance is free, and we rely on the generosity of the American public to provide these vital services to the community. Anyone wishing to help people affected by fires, flooding 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.