Tag Archives: Disaster Services

Dozens of Residents Receive Red Cross Assistance Following Fires

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Disaster Workers Busy As Time Change Kicks-in

Discarded Smoke Alarms Photo credit: Jim McIntyre, American Red Cross

Discarded Smoke Alarms
Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/American Red Cross

On a weekend when fire officials joined the Red Cross in urging residents to test their smoke alarms, more than a dozen home fires in the Northeast Ohio Region affected more than 50 residents who received Red Cross assistance.

There were no injuries reported.

“Our teams were incredibly busy assisting families throughout the entire region,” said Renee Palagyi, Senior Program Manager for Disaster Services. The Red Cross assisted residents affected by home fires that occurred in eight counties from Friday, October 30 through early Monday morning, November 2, 2015. Among them was a fire in East Cleveland that displaced a family of 12, and a duplex fire in Elyria that chased two families from their homes on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Cross provided financial assistance totaling almost $11,000 to the affected residents.  The money is meant to provide lodging, food, clothing, and to meet any other needs that arise as a result of the fires.”We give our clients a start on their road to recovery,” Renee said. “They are free to spend the money in whatever ways necessary for them to get back on their feet.”

The generosity of donors to the American Red Cross makes such financial assistance possible.  Donors can help families recover from disasters, both big and small,  by logging onto the Red Cross website, or by calling  1-800-RED CROSS. A donation of $10 can be made by texting the words “RED CROSS” to 90999. Red Cross Disaster Relief helps people affected by disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and tornadoes, as well as home fires.

The American Red Cross has been working hard to help families protect themselves from home fires through Operation Save-A-Life.  Residents can request a free home inspection, and will receive free smoke alarms if they are needed.  Volunteers install the alarms, and offer helpful fire prevention information.

Residents of Cleveland can call the 24-hour Operation Save-A-Life hotline at 216-361-5535.  Summit County residents can call 330-535-2030. Residents throughout Northeast Ohio can get information by logging onto the local Red Cross website.

New Disaster Ops Chief Brings Wealth of Experience To Region

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Will Lead Response To All Disasters in Northeast Ohio

Tim O’Toole, who recently retired as Assistant Chief of Operations for the Cleveland Division of Fire, is the new Disaster Program Officer for the American Red Cross Northeast Ohio Region.

O’Toole served the city of Cleveland for almost 35 years in various positions of responsibility, including Chief of Staff and Acting Division Chief for the Cleveland Fire Department, and was named the first Manager of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, under then-mayor Michael R. White, in response to the events of September 11, 2001.

“We are extremely fortunate to have a disaster program manager with such vast experience,” said Mike Parks, CEO of the Northeast Ohio Region. “Chief O’Toole’s extensive background in disaster preparedness and emergency management will benefit the 4.5 million people who live in the 22 counties we serve.  His leadership and experience fit perfectly with the mission of the American Red Cross: to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.”

Among the major emergencies Tim responded to and managed were the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, preparation for Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the massive blackout of 2003.  He has also been involved with training for most of the disaster drills that have been staged in Cleveland over the past several years.

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One such drill was held at Cleveland Hopkins Airport on September 19.  Volunteers and staff from the American Red Cross provided support at the Emergency Operations Center, and staffed the Family Assistance Center, where participants role-played as loved ones concerned about the fate of the “victims” of the mock air disaster.

As Regional Disaster Officer, O’Toole will lead all American Red Cross responses to disasters of any scale in Northeast Ohio, by mobilizing the community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.  He will also continue to develop and support volunteers, who serve as the primary disaster-response workforce.

If you are interested in volunteering to respond to disasters in your community and beyond, please visit our website: www.redcross.org/neo and click on “Volunteer” on the left side of the screen. You will be dropped directly into the application process. You may also call 216-431-3328 or email, NEOvolunteer@redcross.org.

Red Cross Responds to Several Weekend Disasters

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Assists Searchers Looking for Missing Child; Helps Victims of Epic Flooding

A major, historic flood event is ongoing in South Carolina and parts of North Carolina. And the search for a missing child ended successfully in Trumbull County. Volunteers from the American Red Cross assisted there, and with several other disasters over the weekend.

The child, two-year old Rainn Peterson was reported missing Friday night from the family home in North Bloomfield.  Some 60 searchers spent almost 48 hours looking for the little girl, and the Red Cross provided canteen services, including food, water and warmth inside an emergency response vehicle.

In addition, cots were provided to police and FBI agents who stayed at the Emergency Operations Center Saturday night.

On Sunday, just as the sun was setting, a volunteer found the the little girl about a quarter mile from the home. The Trumbull County sheriff said she was doing “as fine as can be expected” after spending nearly two days outdoors, with temperatures that dipped into the lower 40’s and a steady rain on Saturday.

“We all wanted to see heartbreak turn into hope, and that’s exactly what happened,” said Karen Conklin, Executive Director of the Lake to River Chapter of the Red Cross. “That little girl was in our hearts the whole time.  It could have happened to any of us.”

While THAT story ended happily, the flooding on the East Coast is far from over.

This is now the wettest October on record in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, surpassing the previous record of 11.59 inches in 1959 – and it’s only the beginning of the month.

Flash flooding is ongoing and has become serious in many locations, including in Charleston, where numerous swift-water rescues were reported. Roads were closed all over the state, including portions of Interstates 77 and 20. A 75-mile stretch of Interstate 95 between Interstates 20 and 26 was closed. The heavily traveled highway through the eastern portion of the state was not closed during 1989’s Hurricane Hugo.

Widespread rainfall totals since Thursday are between 5 to 10 inches, with locally heavier amounts reported. Some coastal areas from Charleston to Myrtle Beach have recorded 10 to 16 inches. Additional heavy rainfall of between 5 and 10 inches is possible. These extreme rainfall amounts will continue to lead to widespread and catastrophic flooding and flash flooding.  It will take several days for water to recede in the region once the rain ends. A Federal Emergency Declaration has been declared for South Carolina.

“We are helping families across South Carolina that are in need of shelter, disaster relief and comfort,” said Louise Welch Williams, regional chief executive officer of the American Red Cross in South Carolina. “We are also welcoming members of the community who want to help to join us as Red Cross disaster volunteers.”

The American Red Cross has opened 35 emergency shelters, helping people stay safe and dry and providing meals and emotional support. More than 200 people spent the night Sunday in a Red Cross shelter. Nearly 400 Red Cross workers, 22 emergency response vehicles and supplies for 5,000 people have been mobilized.

Additional shelters are on standby and the Red Cross is working closely with government partners to ensure immediate needs of residents are being met.

Volunteers from every Red Cross region in the Midwest, including Northeast Ohio, responded to a variety of disasters over the weekend. We respond to nearly 70,000 disasters every year, from home fires to wildfires, flooding and more.

In addition to flooding, we are still helping people impacted by the wildfires in California, a blizzard in Alaska, and the school shooting in Oregon, where volunteers are providing mental health support and assistance at community events.  And in Florida, more than a dozen Red Cross volunteers are providing emotional support and other assistance for the families of the seamen aboard the cargo ship El Faro, which sank during Hurricane Joaquin last week.

You can help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

Why I Volunteer: Disaster Mental Health

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By: Christine, a Red Cross Volunteer in Boston (but calls NEO her hometown)

A colleague of mine, another therapist, always talks to clients about “shipwreck experiences”: those moments of tragedy where we are pushed to our limits, but learn something about ourselves and are moved to grow. That’s more than a feel-good saying or a pop-psychology mantra. In fact, it is at the core of the theory of post-traumatic growth, a counterpart to the idea of post-traumatic stress, and something that’s been found to happen more commonly than previously believed.

But how do people grow when everything around them seems to be lost? There are many pieces to that puzzle, but one of them is the support of the community. It is that support, which the Red Cross gives, and that Disaster Relief volunteers are trained to provide. These are the community responders you see on the news during times of tragedy. Perhaps they are setting up cots in gymnasiums, or preparing meals out of a truck. They are also the ones at the home fire in the middle of the night, handing out blankets and water.

My own background is in providing mental health services, and as a psychologist I work every day with people who have experienced loss – but usually months and years after the fact. When I was in grad school a professor of mine spoke to our class about the Red Cross’ Disaster Mental Health (DMH) services. This was in the years immediately following 9/11, and there were many stories about psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors who had worked Ground Zero.

A key point, he said, was that we would unfortunately have to wait to volunteer till we were licensed and could practice independently. So, I finished my clinical training, graduated, did more coursework and training to get licensed, and in the process sort of forgot about it all.

On April 15, 2013, I was getting home just after 3 p.m. from volunteering at Mile 13 of the Boston Marathon. I didn’t understand the words I was reading when a friend texted asking me about explosions. Throughout the next hour I had people, having seen my excited posts about heading off to volunteer and my close-up shots of the course, trying to text and Facebook me about where I was and if I was ok. I, myself, was trying to keep my cool as I texted the family of friends who were supposed to be crossing the finish line. I am still grateful that all of my friends and their families were safe, but it was a long, few hours. A mini-shipwreck experience, if you will.

The next day I looked into the Red Cross DMH training. Things were chaotic, and I didn’t hear back from the coordinator. It got set aside as I dealt with people already in my practice that had been affected by the bombing. But this time I didn’t forget, and finally I made the time to apply this summer.

When I was ready, the process was actually quite easy – go through your local Red Cross website, you can walk through the process of signing up. My trainings were mostly online, and volunteer coordinators helped me along the way. I’ll actually do my last training soon, and then I’ll start attending update meetings as the year goes on. I’ll be able to give my schedule of when I can volunteer for common incidents (like house fires) and be on call for larger incidents.

Through the trainings I learned more about the Red Cross and its mission, the role of Disaster Relief, and the specifics of being a DMH volunteer. The coolest thing I learned? That there are people, mostly retirees, that are called DOVEs (Disaster Operations Volunteer Escapees) who travel the US in RVs, and wait to be called upon to travel to disaster sites. My husband is not yet aware that I am going to push for this in our retirement. Please don’t ruin the surprise!

Christine_Williams_rdax_225x150

A photo of the author from her “grown-up” job.

Why I volunteer: Kevin

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By Kevin Murphy, American Red Cross Volunteer

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

 A few years after I graduated from high school I adopted this quote as the mission statement for life.  Having been born with a disability, I had learned that the world isn’t always fair. Even though I had setbacks of my own, I could still do something that would benefit others.

My first experience with the American Red Cross was in the summer of 2013 when the City of Barberton experienced devastating flooding and my employer, the Lake Anna YMCA, was selected as a shelter site for the city.  The next nine days were a whirlwind of activity, but in the end we were able to help a lot of people and do a lot of good in our community.  I knew from that point on that the Red Cross was the place for me!

Disasters do not pick and choose who they affect.  They can strike any person, in any neighborhood, at any time — even at 3 a.m. or when it’s -10 degrees outside. Being a part of the Disaster Action Team has helped me to make a big impact on my community.   It makes me feel good to know that I can help someone at a time when the help matters most to them.

Across the country the Red Cross is a strong organization that helps numerous men, women and children each day.  I strongly believe that our work should be shared with as many people as possible.  I often post on my personal Twitter handle (@macfankevin) when I am responding to a disaster.   It’s not for personal recognition, but rather to help raise awareness of the needs in our community.

Imagine what would happen if I could inspire someone else to help and then they inspire another person. It’s a never ending cycle of good in the world!

I strongly encourage you to do something to give back to your community.  Give. Volunteer . Advocate. Small things that you do today can have a big impact on what happens tomorrow. I have found my niche with the Red Cross. I look forward to many more years of developing my self-capacity and helping others.