Preparing For The Winds and Rain: Hurricane Training in Dallas

by Tonya Solis-Mosby, volunteer contributor

The nearest ocean is about 300 miles away, but that doesn't stop the annual summer training of a group of American Red Cross volunteers.  The Public Affairs team met recently to discuss the Red Cross emergency plan associated with a hurricane if the need arises.

Anita Foster, North Texas Region chief communications officer, said the majority of deaths associated with hurricanes are not from the winds. “Eighty-two percent of fatalities happen inland and are caused by flooding,” she said.

It is because of statistics like that and because of the influx of people to the North Texas Region when a storm hits the Texas coast that North Texas Red Cross teams must stay prepared.

While the storm is still about 72-hours away from landfall, Red Cross volunteers across the region, district and in other areas are already springing into action. By that time, plans for distributing items to victims and those who will work in shelters are being activated.  Shelter plans are put in motion and in some cases, shelters begin to open.  Plans for feeding people and plans for other services such as health services are also reviewed to prepare for activation. It’s the time when the public affairs team is placed on alert and messages to assist the general public begin to go out through a variety of media outlets.

Within 48 hours of a storm making landfall, shelters for potential victims are in operation and all the operations begin to surge forward.  In the North Texas Region, Dallas in particular, plans for the only shelter hub headquarters across the country are put in place.  Once people arrive in the area from the South Texas coast, they are directed to a central location from where they receive shelter assignments.  This system was developed to stop shelter overcrowding and the possibility of people arriving at a shelter only to find there is no room for them.

Public Affairs volunteers learn about how
the Red Cross in the DFW area respond to hurricanes.

As the discussion about this hub system goes on in the training meeting, it receives approving nods from veteran volunteers, especially those who served during previous hurricanes.  The veterans share the importance of this plan being in place because within 24-hours the city could be overrun with people fleeing a dangerous storm.

While the Public Affairs team is the eyes and ears to the outside world for the American Red Cross, there are many other teams who are also preparing to leap into action when disaster strikes.

You can help with disaster relief, too.  All you need to do is click – www.redcross.org; text – REDCROSS to 90999; or call 1-800-REDCROSS to become a volunteer or to make a donation.

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Tornadoes Not Behind Us: Hurricanes Ahead

by Anita Foster, Communications Officer, American Red Cross North Texas Region

On the heels of a widespread tornado outbreak that left thousands of people without a place to live, and just a little under a month from the official start of Hurricane Season 2012, the American Red Cross is appealing for new volunteers to join the organization in advance of the next storm.

Red Cross volunteer, Dan Halyburton, assures a Forney
storm victim that help is available.  

            On Saturday, May 5, between 1:00p.m. and 5:00p.m., the American Red Cross will swing open the doors at their Dallas and Fort Worth offices and invite new potential volunteers to come learn how the organization responds to events like the April tornado outbreak.

            During the tornadoes, the American Red Cross operated four shelters, served more than 40,000 meals and snacks, handed out some 6,000 clean-up items like tarps, shovels and rakes and helped nearly 500 people with their health and mental health needs. All of this work was done by 328 Red Cross workers; 85% of which were volunteers.

            “When disasters such as the tornadoes strike, people want to get involved with the Red Cross right then,” said T.D. Smyers, regional chief executive officer, American Red Cross North Texas Region. “What we really want folks to do is to train when the sky is blue so that when the time comes, you’ve got the training, we know your skill-set and we can put you to work right away.”

            Smyers goes on to say that the Open Houses this weekend are the ideal opportunity to come meet the Red Cross and find out where you fit in.

            

“There’s a place for everyone at the Red Cross. Just to name a few jobs: you can run a forklift, drive a feeding truck, attend telethons or work directly with families. It takes a lot of volunteers to respond to large disasters. We saw that with the April tornadoes. And hurricane season is just a month away.”

            The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex serves as the primary evacuation site for storms that hit the Houston/Galveston area. In 2008, the American Red Cross sheltered more than 5,000 people when Hurricane Ike barreled across the area. In 2005, just over 28,000 evacuees from New Orleans and South Texas sheltered in DFW. The Reunion Arena shelter, staffed 24/7 by volunteers, was open for a record-breaking 41 consecutive days.

           

Join Us on Saturday, May 5, 2012 between 1:00p.m. and 5:00p.m. at either location: 

American Red Cross
4800 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, Texas
--or--
American Red Cross
1515 S. Sylvania Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas

No RSVP needed...just stop by when you can! If you’re unable to stop by on Saturday, but still want to volunteer, click on www.redcross.org to find your local American Red Cross chapter. 

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American Red Cross Begins Preparations for 2011 Hurricane Season

New Volunteers Encouraged to Join; Existing Assets Being Tested

After one of the most devastating and deadly tornado seasons in the nation’s history, and an ongoing and unprecedented response from the American Red Cross, no chances are being taken as Hurricane Season 2011 begins. In Dallas, the local Red Cross chapter is doing their part to get themselves and the community prepared in advance.

Beginning on Monday, June 13, 2011 and ending on Saturday, June 18, 2011, the Dallas Red Cross will not only be testing their own internal systems, but also encouraging North Texans to join the Disaster Volunteer Reserves program before evacuees head north to Metroplex shelters.

“The Disaster Volunteer Reserves Program is perfect for people with busy schedules,” said Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, chief executive officer, American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter. “Volunteers take about three hours of training to be ready to respond when a large disaster happens such as a hurricane or tornado; something that would exceed the ability of our day-to-day responders to handle. When that catastrophic disaster happens, we’ll call for the Reserves.”

With 16 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes predicted for the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season, the American Red Cross is encouraging those who have never taken Red Cross training to join the Disaster Volunteer Reserves now. Go to www.redcrossdallas.org/volunteer to fill out an application and enroll in the next Disaster Volunteer Reserve course.

On top of training new volunteers, the Red Cross will also be testing the response time of their existing volunteer pool. On Monday, June 13, 2011, beginning at 10:00a.m. and concluding at 2:00p.m., “Hurricane Alfred”, a fictional storm taking aim at the Texas coast, will provide the scenario background for 15 volunteers who will assemble in the Disaster Command Center at the American Red Cross, 4800 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Tex., and call each pre-trained volunteer with a request for availability. This helps the chapter understand how many volunteers would be available if evacuees needed immediate shelter in North Texas.

Concluding the week of activities, a Hurricane Summit will be conducted at the Red Cross in Dallas on Saturday, June 18, 2011 from 9:00a.m.-3:00p.m. Red Cross workers from Dallas, Fort Worth, Tyler and surrounding areas will attend. The purpose of the Hurricane Summit is for leadership volunteers to receive a full briefing on the hurricane evacuation process, how to best work with state and federal officials and evaluating the capacity of each Red Cross chapter. Additionally, a Disaster Volunteer Reserve course will be conducted from 9:00a.m.-12:30p.m. All activities will take place at the American Red Cross-Dallas Area Chapter, 4800 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, Texas.

For additional information on Red Cross programs and/or services, go to www.redcrossdallas.org.

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Corporate Partners Help American Red Cross Get Ready for 2011 Hurricane Season

As floods, wildfires and tornadoes continue to ravage the U.S., and with forecasters predicting an above-average hurricane season, the American Red Cross is getting prepared with the help of the corporations and foundations that support the Red Cross through the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder (DR) program.

Members of these programs pledge donations on an ongoing basis in advance of major disasters, such as the deadly tornadoes, major flooding and wildfires that have devastated the country this spring. These companies understand that proper supplies and systems have to be in place to respond effectively. With pre-positioned supplies ready, the Red Cross can immediately take action when hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires and other disasters strike.

According to the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project, the 2011 hurricane season may see above-average activity in the Atlantic. The report estimates approximately 16 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes will occur during the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.

“We want to thank our Annual Disaster Giving Program and Disaster Responder members for helping us to be ready for any disasters that occur this year,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “Their generous contributions over the past decade allow us to get immediate relief to victims before the first donations come in.”

Since March 31, the American Red Cross has launched 41 large disaster responses across 28 states after this spring’s devastating wildfires, flooding and tornadoes. The Red Cross has—

• Served more than 2.7 million meals and snacks;
• Opened more than 260 shelters and provided more than 28,000 overnight stays;
• Provided more than 60,000 mental health and health consultations;
• Distributed more than 1.2 million relief items like toothbrushes and shampoo, tarps, coolers, rakes and other cleanup supplies; and
• Deployed more than 11,000 trained disaster relief workers from all 50 states.

Working with partners around the globe, the American Red Cross also helps to build the local capacities of sister Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, by collaborating to train and organize volunteers and educate communities, and establish partnerships with other public and private organizations to strengthen and complement core international services and initiatives.

During a domestic disaster, the Red Cross sends volunteers and supplies into affected areas to shelter, feed and provide emotional support to disaster victims and emergency personnel. Generous gifts from ADGP and DR members offset a range of expenses, including warehousing supplies, shelter and feeding costs, deploying the fleet of disaster response vehicles and reconnecting individuals separated during disasters.

Members of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program are 3M, Altria Group, Aon, Cisco Foundation, ConAgra Foods, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Darden Restaurants, Inc., Dr Pepper Snapple Group, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Kraft Foods, Lowe’s Companies, Inc., Merck, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Northrop Grumman, Ryder Charitable Foundation, Southwest Airlines, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc., UnitedHealthcare, UPS and Walmart.

Members of the Disaster Responder program are American Express, Archer Daniels Midland Company, AXA Foundation, General Motors Foundation, Starbucks Coffee Company and Starbucks Foundation.

People can join Annual Disaster Giving Program and Disaster Responder members in supporting the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and help provide food, shelter, emotional support and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.

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American Red Cross Using Technology to Help People Prepare for Hurricane Season

Photo courtesy of NOAA

With new predictions for an above-average 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, the American Red Cross is adding technology to the many ways it helps people to get prepared.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that 12-18 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-6 major hurricanes will occur this year. The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1, and families can take steps now to create a family emergency plan.

To make that planning easier, the Red Cross has developed a free iPhone app that gives the location of all open Red Cross shelters. The app not only maps the location of a shelter, but also shows current capacity and population. To download the app, users can visit the Apple store and search "American Red Cross shelters." For those without an iPhone, the same shelter information also appears on the Red Cross website and can be accessed by visiting www.redcross.org and clicking on "Find a Shelter." Both are refreshed with updated information every 30 minutes.

In addition, the Red Cross Safe and Well website now allows users to update their Facebook and Twitter status when they register on the site. Safe and Well is a secure way to let your loved ones know where you are going during a hurricane evacuation or that you are "okay" in the aftermath of a disaster. If users choose to do so, they can easily let their entire network of friends and family know they are safe in one step.

"This is an ideal time to get a disaster supply kit ready, make an evacuation plan with your family, and get information on what to do during a hurricane," said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of Red Cross Disaster Services. "It’s also the right time to learn how to locate a shelter or use Safe and Well, and new technology is making it even easier to do that."

Along with working to prepare people in the U.S., the American Red Cross is working to prepare vulnerable populations in Haiti with training in early warning systems and emergency first aid, as well as other measures, as hurricane season approaches for that country, which is still dealing with the 2010 earthquake that left so many homeless.

More broadly, the global Red Cross network has been working with the Haitian Red Cross to help Haitians better prepare for and respond to disasters. For example, an estimated 5.5 million text messages about ways to prepare for disasters have been sent to Haitians.

American Red Cross disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction programs have helped Haitians in about 40 camps prepare for heavy rains and hurricanes, and this program will expand in the months to come. Some of the activities held in these camps include emergency first aid courses, training in early warning systems (bullhorns and whistles), projects such as digging ditches and sandbagging hillsides, preparation of evacuation routes, and workshops to teach children about disaster preparedness.

In addition, Haitian Red Cross branches across the country have been strengthened with extra training for staff and new office and communications equipment. More than 1,600 people have been trained by the Red Cross in vulnerability and capacity assessment or community-based disaster management. The Red Cross has also built a Disaster Operations Center in Hinche and pre-positioned relief supplies for 25,000 families to be used during future disasters in Haiti. The American Red Cross has also helped to supply additional tarps to vulnerable Haitians whose shelters may be damaged or destroyed, and have staff on standby to provide emergency response in coordination with members of the global Red Cross network.

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We Turn To You

"For a shield, from the storm for a friend, for a love; To keep me safe and warm, I turn to you" When I hear this line from Christina Aguilera's 1999 song "I Turn To You," it makes me think of the work we do here at the Dallas Area Chapter. Day in and day out, victims of disaster turn to the Red Cross for help when life's storms take away all that they know.

Hurricane Katrina was quickly approaching the Gulf Coast when Denise and her six year old daughter raced away from their home to seek safe shelter at Reunion Arena, the Red Cross shelter set up in Dallas, Texas. Sadly, they soon learned that the hurricane destroyed everything they owned so they decided to start over in Dallas. The Red Cross, along with community partners, facilitated their transition by helping Denise find a job, an apartment and a school for her daughter.

Unbelievably, the family soon found themselves without a home again. Their apartment caught fire in the middle of the night. Denise said she felt completely helpless as they watched their lives disappear for the second time. Just like before though, she was not alone. The Red Cross was there to help as volunteers gave the family new clothes, meals, blankets, a few nights in a hotel and a teddy bear for the little girl.


When disasters happen, families turn to the Red Cross to provide a place to stay when they no longer have a home, to provide meals when they cannot eat and to provide a shoulder to cry on when they have nowhere to turn.


However, who does the Red Cross turn to for help? We turn to you, our community, and ask you to donate your time and money so we can help those whose lives have been ravaged by disaster. Just like Denise, we have needed to turn to you again and again for help and thankfully we have always found many of you willing to help each time.


In 2005, The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas saw the many needs that arose in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and they stepped up to help the Red Cross respond by making a generous donation. Then in 2008, when they saw how the Red Cross had to shelter 5,000 people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area during Hurricane Ike, they once again made a large donation to support relief efforts.


Now, two years later we are facing a tumultuous hurricane season. As NOAA forecasts 14 to 23 named storms, including 8 to 14 hurricanes, of which 3 to 7 could be major hurricanes, it is imperative that our community is prepared to offer help if needed. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas recognizes this need as well and this time has provided another gift to ensure the Dallas Area Chapter is prepared in advance.

Without a doubt, the Red Cross could not be more grateful for companies like The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas that take the lead in helping our community deliver care to those impacted by disaster. Without their support, we would not have anyone to turn to as we try to sustain hope during times of tragedy.


Whether it is a community evacuating because of approaching hurricanes or a family of two forced from their home by a fire, the Red Cross promises to respond and because of generous donors like The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and its member financial institutions, you can trust that when you turn to the Red Cross for help that it will be there.

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Blown Away (Well, Not This Year At Least)

Here in Texas, we rarely have earthquakes (except for the tremors felt in the mid-cities a few weeks ago). Mudslides, volcanoes, tsunamis, and blizzards are also a thing of the movies and distant news in these parts. While we may not whip out our earthquake putty quite yet, Texas is heading into hurricane season.

North Texas does not usually get the direct hit of a hurricane, but we do receive gale force winds and evacuees from gulf-side cities. Unfortunately, most people get scared and prepared. Then nothing happens and everyone hopes they kept their receipts. As we witnessed from Katrina and Ike, it is better to get equipped before disaster strikes.

If you want a preparedness review, the Red Cross recommends following a few simple steps. Pull together a disaster supplies kit. Just think of it as camping… in your home. It’s time to learn about roughing it. First, get a few waterproof and manageable containers with handles to store your supplies in. Save up some nonperishable food and bottled water (three gallons per day per person is the rule of thumb). Make sure there is enough to last at least 72-hours. Since nonperishable foods usually include canned goods, I would get a non-electric can opener.

When the lights go out (like every bad storm here), keep a battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries on hand. Pack extra clothes, important documents, cash and credit cards, and a first aid kit too.

If living near the coast, sit down with your family and discuss an evacuation route. Get shutters or use plywood to cover windows. Also, remove damaged tree limbs and strengthen garage doors. The last thing you want is a flooded home. If the National Weather Center recommends evacuating, do so immediately. Bring the disaster supplies kit with you when you evacuate.

If your home resides further inland, check-in with the Red Cross for information on how you can help during a disaster.

Watch for updates on our twitter, facebook and blog pages this upcoming hurricane season.

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