October Storm, Redux

Earlier this week, in a preview of this Sunday's game between the Bills and Jets, a NY Daily News columnist wrote, "..the weather in Buffalo is never good."  While it would be easy to point out to Mr. Bondy that it's 60 degrees and sunny here on November 3rd, the truth is our bad-weather reputation is at least somewhat based on past events, and we know all too well what some of our Northeastern neighbors are currently going through.



Photo Courtesy www.ct.gov



A weekend Nor'easter dumped record amounts of snowfall for October in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, New Jersey and Maine, collapsing trees and branches that had not yet shed their leaves.  Over three million homes and business lost power, and officials say the power may not be restored until this weekend in some areas.

All of this should sound eerily familiar to Western New Yorkers.  We lived through the same thing five years ago during our own October Surprise storm, so it's no surprise that Western New Yorkers are stepping up to help this time around.
Almost 3,700 people spent Tuesday night in Red Cross shelters.  Tuesday morning, volunteer Steven Schwartz of Buffalo deployed to Connecticut to assist in those relief efforts.  This is Steven's second disaster deployment of 2011--he took part in the tornado relief efforts in Alabama this spring. 


As we saw a couple months ago, when over three dozen local Red Cross volunteers deployed to assist in the Hurricane Irene/Tropical Storm Lee response, more Western New Yorkers will be ready to join Steven if called upon after this October Surprise sequel.  We certainly have experience with this sort of thing! 

Scary shouldn't mean dangerous!

Hopefully all of you were trick-or-treating with us indoors at "Eerie" Community College during "Safe & Seen Halloween" on Saturday.  However, some of you might still want to take your little ghosts and goblins out to scare up some goodies tonight, and while dark and spooky is the order of the night, this Halloween tradition shouldn't be dangerous!

In the spirit of the holiday, the American Red Cross has put together a "Lucky 13 Tips" for a safe Halloween.  Most of these tips are common sense: don't walk in the road, bring a flashlight, wear reflective clothing so drivers can see you.  But frighteningly enough, you may never have considered some of the "Lucky 13!"

One of the overlooked dangers involves something we talk about all the time here at the Red Cross--our dislike for candles!  We really don't like them when they're hidden inside of something, such as a pumpkin.  What if one of the ghouls knocking on your door accidentally knocked over that jack-o-lantern you spent hours carving??  Use a glow-stick instead to avoid a fire hazard.  If your kids are anything like mine, they'll have the added bonus of a "toy" to play with afterwards!!

Before the creatures start roaming the streets tonight, make sure they follow ALL of the "Lucky 13 Steps" for a safe Halloween, so you can be sure that nothing unexpected goes "bump in the night!!!!"

It doesn't have to be a "dark and stormy night"!

It's been pretty gloomy when you look out the window lately. Cloudy, chilly, rainy, maybe even some snow! Some might say that's perfect weather for the upcoming Halloween weekend. While it may be true that many ghost stories begin with a "dark and stormy night", it's not so fun when you have to walk the kids up and down the street to trick-or-treat!

The Red Cross has a way for the kids to get their goodies, stay warm and dry, and pick up some important safety information this Saturday! Join us at "Eerie" Community College's North Campus from 11am-3pm for "Safe & Seen Halloween!" Your little ghosts and goblins can trick or treat for ghoulish goodies along the Haunted Hallway of Treats. While they're filling their pumpkin with treats, you'll also pick up some important family safety tips from local first responders and law enforcement organizations. You'll then work your way to the Creepy Kidzone, filled with Halloween fun and safety-themed interactive activities. Billy Buffalo, the Buffalo Jills, and Sabretooth will be there, along with a local Star Wars fan club and dozens of others, all in bright, colorful costumes.

All the fun costs just $2.00 per trick-or-treater, and all children under 12 are invited to come and scare up some goodies! "Safe & Seen Halloween" is presented by First Niagara, and sponsored in part by Erie Community College, The Buffalo News, WKBW-TV, Classic Hits 104.1 FM, Wegmans, and National Fuel, with all proceeds benefitting the American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties. Click here for more information and directions to ECC's North Campus.

Of course, even after joining the fun at "Safe & Seen", you may still want to take your family out for some traditional trick-or-treating on Halloween night! The Red Cross has some safety tips to make this Halloween a little less scary, although we can't promise that seeing our staff in costume on Saturday won't be a frightening experience!!

No, Joe. Thank YOU!

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that we are constantly thanking our amazing Disaster Action Team volunteers for the all work they do for us and our community.  Not everyone would be willing to take that late night phone call to help the family who just lost everything in a house fire.  However, it can be difficult for even these wonderful people to make such sacrifices of their time and talents.

Joe Long has been volunteering with us throughout his time as an undergraduate student, but has recently decided that as he studies for his CPA exam he no longer has the time to give, and November will be his last month as a DAT volunteer.  You may wonder why someone taking such a difficult course load would ever be willing to spend some of his precious free time helping strangers he's never met.  Without even being asked, Joe answered that question in his resignation letter to our Emergency Services department:

"However in the times I have responded to the calls, I have been truely touched by what a great volunteer opportunity the DAT team is. Its unlike any other volunteer opportunity, because it really, really does make such a positive impact on families in need. It is for that reason that I stayed on the schedule for so long."

Joe went on to thank us for our patience with his schedule.  Well, Joe, we thank YOU and all our volunteers for taking time out of your busy lives to help us help our neighbors in need.  We couldn't do what we do without you!!

Want to experience that great feeling of helping others Joe is talking about for yourself?  We're always looking for volunteers!  Contact Volunteer Coordinator Christine Petre at petrec@usa.redcross.org or click here for a schedule of training classes.