26 Volunteers from WNC assisting in Irene Response Effort

Two Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV’s) and four volunteers from the American Red Cross in Upstate South Carolina are en route to Middleton, NY to assist with disaster relief efforts in an area heavily flooded from Hurricane Irene.

Two additional Red Cross volunteers from Western North Carolina are being deployed to the eastern part of their home state to assist storm victims. The additional volunteers being called up bring to 26 the total number from the Western Carolinas providing relief in either North Carolina or further up the coast in New England.

“The Red Cross provides assistance both at home and anywhere else it is needed,” said Patrick Fitzsimmons, CEO of the WNC Region of the Red Cross. “We’re extremely grateful to our volunteers for the service they are providing to victims of Hurricane Irene in North Carolina and beyond.”

In eastern North Carolina, Red Cross damage assessment teams are operating in 23 counties and finding previously unreported damages to homes and buildings. Shelters are open in 18 locations and housed and fed 375 victims of the storm Monday evening. Five food kitchens are operating in eastern North Carolina and hot meals are being delivered by 41 ERV’s. Since the hurricane made landfall in North Carolina on Saturday, the Red Cross has fed over 22,000 meals.

You can help people affected by disasters like floods and tornadoes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. To make a donation, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross officer or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. To learn more about the work of the American Red Cross in the U.S. and around the world, please visit www.redcross.org .

15 Western Carolinians Red Cross Volunteers Deploy East to Help with Hurricane Irene Disaster Response

In anticipation of Hurricane Irene’s landfall tomorrow along the North Carolina coast, 15 American Red Cross volunteers from WNC and the upstate of South Carolina leave this morning to help with disaster relief efforts.

Five of the volunteers are going in a medical services capacity; nine will work in damage assessment and one is serving as the site director for the Raleigh area. All fifteen are highly-trained in their respective roles and are likely to be deployed for approximately two weeks.

In all, around 70 volunteers in WNC and the upstate are on alert and may be called up for service should the need arise.

“Without our committed volunteers, the Red Cross could not fulfill its mission,” said Ann Wright, CEO of the upstate South Carolina region. “We’re still hoping for the best with this hurricane, but we have to be prepared for the worst.”

If you are in the storm's path, please read our Hurricane Preparedness and Safety Checklists.

You can help people affected by disasters like floods and tornadoes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. To make a donation, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross officer or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. To learn more about the work of the American Red Cross in the U.S. and around the world, please visit www.redcross.org.

Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up

Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It's a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work...


LIBYA: The ICRC has begun distribution of medical and surgical kits to hospitals in the capital city of Tripoli. The ICRC has had a permanent presence in Tripoli since mid-April of this year.

NORTH KOREA: An emergency appeal has been launched by IFRC to provide supplies of food and non-food relief, shelter materials, clean water and health care to 30,000 people who have been badly affected by storms and floods. The American Red Cross will contribute $50,000 for the international response in North Korea.

SOMALIA: With the opening of the four new feeding programs, Somali Red Crescent feeding centers now cover the whole country, including all areas most affected by malnutrition. Somalia has been in the grip of a severe drought since October 2010.

IRAQ: The ICRC released a film today that highlights the difficulties of Iraqi women who shoulder the burden of caring for their families alone. An estimated one million women struggle to feed their families and continue to depend on outside help.

USA: Hurricane Irene is the first major hurricane of 2011 threatening the East Coast and the American Red Cross is preparing for a full disaster response. The Red Cross urges people to get a three-day supply of water, food that doesn’t require refrigeration, flashlights, a battery-operated radio and a first aid kit. Irene could affect blood collections along the East Coast and The Red Cross is urging those who are eligible to give blood prior to the storm’s arrival.


GLOSSARY:

ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Hurricane Irene Update #2

Hurricane Irene is now a category 3 storm and could affect a large swath of the East Coast later this week with wind and potential flooding.

American Red Cross chapters from Florida to Maine are getting ready. Irene is the first major hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Trained Red Cross disaster relief workers are being mobilized to prepare shelters and relief supplies for a full East Coast response. Within our Heart of Carolina Region and throughout North Carolina, nearly 100 Red Cross volunteers are either on standby or are on the move. Dozens of mobile feeding vehicles and trucks equipped with communications technology are already moving towards North Carolina and Virginia where Irene is predicted to make the first landfall.

Just as the Red Cross is preparing for Hurricane Irene, people along the coast also need to get ready. Residents along the coast should take the threat of Irene seriously, finalize their hurricane plans and update their emergency supply kits. They include a three-day supply of water ready for each person on hand, along with food that doesn’t require refrigeration, flashlights, a battery-operated radio and a first aid kit. A full list of suggested items is available on www.redcross.org

People in potential evacuation areas should familiarize themselves with the Red Cross Safe and Well website by visiting www.redcross.org/safeandwell so they can let their loved ones know what their situation is due to the hurricane. The site can be also be accessed on a smart phone, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. People can also update their Facebook and Twitter status through the Safe and Well site.

Affected residents should also download the free Red Cross shelter finder app in the Apple iTunes store.

The Red Cross today (Wednesday) is releasing new survey results on how Americans use social media during disasters. With a hurricane threatening, the survey shows the importance of a family communication plan, and social media can be one part of that.

The survey shows that the internet is the third most popular way for people to gather emergency information, behind only television and local radio. The survey also showed that 18 percent of both the general population and the online population specifically saying they use Facebook for emergency information. People have high expectations that response groups are monitoring social media in times of disaster – and responding to cries for help. Also, Four in five believe that response groups should be monitoring social media, and one in three believes that a request for help on social media should be responded to in less than an hour.

Remember, calling 9-1-1 is always the best first action to take when a person needs emergency assistance.

American Red Cross disaster preparedness starts long before a hurricane makes landfall, beginning with keeping supplies and equipment on stand-by all year to help people in need. On average, the Red Cross spends about $450 million on disaster relief every year. If someone would like to support Red Cross disaster efforts, they can make a donation to American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS, texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Call (828) 258-3888 to make a donation to the Red Cross in WNC's response efforts.

Earthquake Replay

The 5.8 magnitude Virginia quake definitely was a shock in more ways than one. Earthquakes are rather unheard of out east, due to the lack of an active tectonic plate boundary. That doesn't mean they don't happen, and the East coast was caught by surprise for a relatively mild quake compared to the West. The reactions varied from real shock to 'laughter' shock).

How did this happen? Here's how:

Social Media Aftershock

Did you feel the Earthquake?

Just one minute after the earthquake shook the East Coast yesterday 40,000 tweets were blasted out about the quake. This just shows the speed and power of social media in the times of disasters. We want to invite you to join the National American Red Cross today at 3:00 pm EST for Facebook DC Live: Social Media’s Role in Disaster Preparedness & Response to hear more about this emerging topic.

Tune in online to see Trevor Riggen, our Senior Director of Disaster Services, discuss a survey the Red Cross conducted regarding how Americans use social media during disasters. The event will be a live webcast on Facebook here.

You can RSVP and share the event information with your communities here. If you can’t watch today, the event will be archived for viewing later. In addition, we will be releasing the full survey results and a press release this afternoon.

Watch live streaming video from facebookdclive at livestream.com

Two Chances

Tune in today at 4:45pm to The Matt Mittan Show on 570 AM or at 5:00pm to 880 AM The Revolution to hear a briefing on Red Cross operations in response to Hurricane Irene from Steve Dykes, Director of Marketing for Western North Carolina and the Upstate Regions.