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Disaster Action Team: Bill Hurd – Captain,Leola Meador,Frank Meador,Holly Ore,Jane Norwood,Mike Burchell,Bill Larson – DAT Coordinator Rusty Smith,Janice Timpson,Harvey Davis,Matthew Grant and Carol Gwynn Red Cross Responds to Ongoing Storms with ‘Just in Time’ Training Licensed Mental Health & Health Services Professionals Needed American Red Cross Expects Hurricane Irene Response to Continue for Weeks WASHINGTON, Monday, August 29, 2011 — With communities from North Carolina to New England suffering from significant flooding, wind damage and widespread power outages from Hurricane Irene, the American Red Cross is responding with shelter, food and other assistance. “The storm may be over, but our work is far from done,” said Gail McGovern, Red Cross president and CEO. “We expect this disaster relief operation to be a very large operation that will continue for several weeks.” Saturday night, the Red Cross was operating in more than 500 shelters, providing shelter for more than 27,000 people, and still had 300 shelters open for 8,000 people Sunday night. Since Friday, the Red Cross has provided more than 48,000 overnight shelter stays. In North Carolina, three N.C. Baptist Men kitchens are being set up in New Bern, Manteo and Williamston, with the first hot meals planned for today. These kitchens have the capacity to serve approximately 30,000 meals each day. The Red Cross has also arranged to procure approximately 1.3 million meals through various vendors in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New York. McGovern and Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of disaster services, spoke about the Red Cross response and its plans during an afternoon media briefing. Both cited the need for donations for the Red Cross relief operation, which will likely cost millions. “We’re still caring for thousands of people in our shelters, and we’re incurring costs every day,” McGovern said, noting that the Red Cross has active operations in more than a dozen coastal states. Both McGovern and Shimanski emphasized that flood relief operations typically extend for weeks, citing the example of Minot, N.D., where a Red Cross shelter remains open months after severe flooding overtook the city. In Irene’s wake, thousands of people have turned to the Red Cross for help, and Red Cross workers are responding. The Red Cross has more than 250 feeding vehicles—or more than two-thirds its entire fleet—ready to go into neighborhoods to provide hot meals. Every Red Cross feeding truck east of the Rocky Mountains has been mobilized for this relief effort. In addition to noting the need for financial donations to the Red Cross for the disaster operation, McGovern also noted that the Red Cross was in need of another kind of donation as well: blood donations are needed now. “Supplies before the storm were already tight, as they are every summer, and Irene caused the cancellation of 60 blood drives along the East Coast, resulting in a shortfall of more than 2,100 units of blood,” McGovern said. “We’re expecting these numbers to go up due to storm damage in many locations, which will cause more canceled blood drives.” The Red Cross is urging immediate blood and platelet donations in areas that were not affected by this storm, and is also asking community members in affected areas to consider donating blood once it is safe to go out. If people want to schedule an appointment, they can go online at www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS. Those who want to help can click or text to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donations can be made by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-REDCROSS, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions can also be sent to local Red Cross chapters or mailed to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org. Rockingham County Emergency Management P.O. Box 86 Wentworth, N.C. 27375 Contact: Johnny Bowles Emergency Management Coordinator Wentworth, NC –Rockingham County has contracted with Emergency Communications Network to license its CodeRED high-speed notification solution. The CodeRED system provides Rockingham County officials the ability to quickly deliver messages to targeted areas or the entire county. Susan Hall, Rockingham County 9-1-1 Communications Director, cautioned that such systems are only as good as the telephone number database supporting them. "If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called." One of the reasons the CodeRED system was selected is it gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly into the system's database; this is an extremely important feature. “No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included,” Hall said urging all individuals and businesses to log onto the Rockingham County website, www.co.rockingham.nc.us, or Rockingham County Emergency Services website, www.rockinghames.org, and follow the link to the "CodeRED Community Notification Enrollment" page. Those without Internet access may call Rockingham County Emergency Management Office (336-634-3017) or Rockingham County 9-1-1 Communications Director (336-634-3309), Monday through Friday, (8AM-5PM) to supply their information over the phone. Required information includes:first and last name, street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, and primary phone number, additional phone numbers can be entered as well. All businesses should register, as well as all individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the past year, and those who use a cellular phone or VoIP phone as their primary number. Hall explained, "CodeRED allows geographically based delivery, which means street addresses are required to ensure emergency notification calls are received by the proper individuals in a given situation. The system works for cell phones too, but we need to have an associated street address to provide relevant messages." Hall stated, "CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for inputting information. The data collected will only be used for emergency notification purposes." Questions should be directed to the Rockingham County 9-1-1 Communications Director 336-634-3309, or Rockingham County Emergency Management Office, 336-634-3017. About Emergency Communications Network Emergency Communications Network Inc.,(ECN) provides affordable high-speed notification solutions capable of reaching millions of citizens in minutes.ECN’s sophisticated network supports a web-based product officials to communicate time-sensitive, personalized messages via voice, email and text. Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. What would you do if basic services--water, gas, electricity or telephones--were cut off? Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone right away. Therefore, the best way to make your family and your home safer is to be prepared before disaster strikes. 
Preparedness Fast Facts - Emergency-Specific Preparedness InformationPreparedness Information When It's Needed Most Get the facts you need — before, during, and after a disaster or emergency situation. As the nation's preeminent preparedness and safety training organization, the American Red Cross developed the following emergency-specific checklists using the latest research, science, best practices and expert opinion. Choose to download and print the topics most appropriate in your area. Please note that the PDF files below require Adobe Reader and should be printed on legal size paper (8.5” x 14”). Download Adobe Reader for free here.
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