Tag Archives: Financial Assistance

Red Cross Helps Cleveland Family Displaced by Fire

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Children Receive Stuffed Toys to Help Them Through Crisis

Cara Hunt was at home with her three young children when their upstairs caught fire in September.

The Cleveland family escaped unharmed, but the fire stripped them of their basic necessities and left them with no place to sleep.

 

As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, two American Red Cross workers responded to offer relief. They gave each child a stuffed animal toy to help calm their fears, and provided financial assistance to cover temporary lodging for the family, whose home was deemed unlivable.

Cleveland Fire Battalion Captain Chris Posante, who connected Hunt with the Red Cross workers, underscored the importance of this support.

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Red Cross worker Mark Cline offers assistance to resident Cara Hunt

“These are good people who are suffering through no fault of their own,” Posante said. “The help you give them is much needed.”

You can help people who have been driven from their homes by fire when you donate to Red Cross Disaster Relief, at redcross.org/donate, or by calling 1-800 RED CROSS.  You can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

 

 

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Red Cross worker Jeremy Bayer offers stuffed toys to children driven from their home by fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Homes Remain Under Water Weeks After Hurricane Matthew Hits Land

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Thousands of people in the southeast continue to deal with the effects of Hurricane Matthew more than two weeks after the storm made landfall. We are with them, providing food, shelter and help with recovery. The Red Cross and partners have already served more than 1.3 million meals and snacks and provided more overnight shelter stays than after Superstorm Sandy. The massive response is far from over, and Red Cross workers will support those affected for as long as help is needed.

 

As we continue to provide critical relief to those affected by Hurricane Matthew, the Red Cross will begin helping residents start the recovery process by connecting them to services and resources they need. A good first step is to register with FEMA, as there is federal assistance available to help people recover. For those who do not qualify for federal disaster assistance, the Red Cross is able to provide limited financial assistance to ensure that they have access to additional support.

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Teresa Bellamy of Fair Bluff, N.C.

In the U.S. alone, the response to Hurricane Matthew is anticipated to cost between approximately $24 – $28 million. At present, we have raised only $8.1 million in designated donations and pledges for Hurricane Matthew—so we need the public’s support to help the thousands of people still suffering.

The Red Cross depends on donations to provide immediate relief. Help people affected by Hurricane Matthew by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word MATTHEW to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

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.