First Triangle Disaster Responder Certificate Awarded

Tracie Brown of the Triangle Red Cross, has created a unique and exciting way to encourage and reward long time disaster volunteers. Through a series of training and response, our chapter is now able to offer a Disaster Response Certification for Disaster Volunteers that recognizes their hard work, hours of training, and dedication to disaster response.

Our first recipient of the certification is John Berry. John is the dedicated leader of our Franklin County efforts, where he has worked tirelessly with our Triangle Staff to assemble and maintain a functioning disaster response team, build relationships with local government partners, and develop agreements with other relief agencies to ensure a more effective disaster response.

It’s fitting that John, a disaster volunteer since 2005, is the first recipient of this new certification program. Congratulations to John, and to Tracie, for creating a vehicle through which we can recognize the volunteers that put their time, sweat and heart into responding to local disasters, one family at a time.

Regional Exercise Helps Red Cross Prepare for Hurricane Season

This weekend the Triangle Region will be conducting an emergency response drill with three chapters in Durham, Raleigh and Fayetteville.

Abby Cameron of the American Red Cross explained the significance of assessment to Red Cross disaster relief: “Damage assessment includes determining where the disaster occurred, where services are needed, and what services are needed. These teams help us determine everything from where to open a shelter to where our mobile feeding operations are needed most.”

The Triangle Region identified and coordinated with several at-risk neighborhoods across the region, where the disaster scenario played out. Volunteer teams of 4 to 5 volunteers canvassed these neighborhoods for pre-placed damage photos, and assessed the ‘damage’ for each home.

The exercise began at 9:00am with a disaster briefing for Red Cross and partner volunteers - Five Civil Air Patrol volunteers were part of the exercise. The teams dispatched to the partnered community after 10:00am, and returned for a debriefing, and a lunch of Jersey Mike's sandwiches just after noon.

Exercises like this one are crucial to the readiness and resilience of our local communities when a disaster strikes. The Red Cross relief operation relies on disaster assessment teams to tell us where, when and how bad a disaster is, so that we can put the necessary services in the right places.

Let's Be Red Cross Ready

With National Preparedness Month steadily approaching, I decided to take some time to talk about what it means to “Be Red Cross Ready”. Each year, the American Red Cross works with the surrounding community to ensure that people are ready for any disaster they may face; however only 7% of Americans have taken the necessary actions to prepare for disasters.

Let’s make a vow that this year, we will take the necessary steps to make sure that our families, businesses, and schools are prepared for whatever may come our way.
By following three simple steps, we can protect our families from disaster. We need to:

1) Get a Kit
2) Make a Plan
3) Be Informed.

Your kit should include the basics and should be easily accessible at home in the case of an emergency. When making your plan, have a meeting with your family and discuss several evacuation routes. Make sure you practice each route several times so that your family members will feel comfortable evacuating if necessary. Your local American Red Cross and RedCross.org can offer you plenty of information and resources. One great resource the American Red Cross offers is the Ready Rating Program. This program allows businesses and schools to do an assessment of their preparedness and learn what changes they can make in order to become more prepared each year. Visit ReadyRating.org to find out more about the program and to become a member.

Preparedness is a choice, so let’s choose to do all we can to keep our families, businesses, schools and communities safe!

The Hurricanes Come Rumbling Through

With Hurricane Alex building strength in the Gulf of Mexico, I think now is the perfect time to start preparing ourselves for the Hurricane Season. No, I’m not talking about our Stanley Cup-winning hockey team. I’m talking about the huge storms that can cause millions of dollars in damage, and take thousands of lives.
North Carolina has seen its fare share of hurricanes in the past ten years; Hurricane Fran in 1996, Floyd in 1999 and Isabel in 2003. Needless to say, it is important to make sure we are prepared in case we have some unexpected visitors this year.
Now, we shouldn’t run out and buy everything the store has like we’re preparing for the end of the world, but a few things will ensure that we will be safe if a hurricane should strike. Some things that are good to have on hand include: Flashlights, batteries, emergency candles, a first aid kit, a 3-day supply of water and non-perishable foods, medications, personal hygiene and sanitation items, and your family’s emergency contact information. TriangleRedCross.org provides lots of resources for families during hurricane season, so please visit TriangleRedCross.org/Ready in order to get a safety checklist and learn what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.

Safe for the Summer

I'm so glad that summer is almost here! I have never really enjoyed the winter. I mean, I love the snow and all, but I don't really like being out in the cold. The first warm day we had, I took my dog, Zeus, to lake Johnson for an afternoon walk. I guess a lot of other people had the same idea as myself because it seemed like everyone in Raleigh was out that day...fishing, walking and playing near the water's edge. It brought back some great memories from when I was younger, but it also reminded me of how important it is to be safe when we're out having fun.

Now that the temperatures are rising and the weather is nicer, more and more people will be heading to pools, beaches and lakes...the perfect places to spend time with your families and escape the North Carolina heat. But just keep in mind, when your out having fun, that water can be extremely dangerous. Last year, an average of 10 people drowned every day! By being a little more cautious, many of these tragedies could be avoided. Please visit triangleredcross.org to get a summer safety guide and find out how to keep your loved ones protected. So have fun this summer, but more importantly be safe. Happy Swimming!

Alex is Home

I was very excited yesterday to get a visit from Alex Alexis who had just returned from a 30 day deployment on the USNS Comfort in Haiti. Alex is a Triangle Red Cross veteran volunteer, originally from Haiti, who began his Red Cross affiliation with the Haiti Red Cross in the 1970s.

Alex relayed the most heartwarming stories to me, not about the devastation of his home country, but about the joy and humanity that often comes from the worst of situations. As we talked, he and I reflected on how his stories reinforced everything we already know; that it is the things in life that really matter that get us through tragedies: having our family by our side when we are in pain, knowing that those we love are safe and cared for, knowing that we can provide the basic needs in life for our families, and having a community of support around us when we need it most.

We can always break it down to a set of numbers or stories, but what keeps volunteers coming back to serve, disaster after disaster, is also the most rewarding thing about working with the Red Cross. Knowing that we are providing, not just the most basic needs, but also the most important needs. Food, shelter, comfort and hope. That is what the Red Cross is all about.

- posted by Lu Esposito, Director of Marketing

What do you do for the Red Cross?

Many times I am asked by people, "What do you do for the Red Cross?". It's a many faceted answer and can change drastically from one day to another. I work in the disaster services department at the Triangle Area chapter in Raleigh, North Carolina. My official job title as "Client Services Coordinator" barely scratches the surface of all of the fun and exciting things that I am priveledged to do. First and foremost, I help people whose lives have been affected by natural disasters such as floods, fires and tornadoes. Another part of my job is working with a group of amazing volunteers who are trained to help families on the scene of these disasters, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Red Cross is a volunteer-led organization, so as a paid staff member, I am able to facilitate the volunteers in learning the skills needed to provide Red Cross assistance to the families.
Almost every day, I am able to provide emergency assistance to someone affected by disaster. To me, this is not just a job, it is an honor. I often feel that what I do should not be a paid position, because of the gratitude I see in the faces of the people that our Red Cross team is able to help.
One thing that most people aren't aware of is that the Red Cross is not a government agency. It is fully funded by donations from the American people. That is one of the things that drew me to the Red Cross as a volunteer in 2006. I knew that one of the best uses of my time and money that I am able to donate is to put it towards helping those who aren't able to help themselves because of circumstances beyond their control.
So, whenever I am asked "What do you do for the Red Cross?", I am never able to fully sum it up into one sentence. I am a Red Crosser, and it is the greatest opportunity in the world.