Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Burlington Fire Displaces Residents of 40-Unit Complex

The American Red Cross responded to the scene of a fire early this morning in Burlington that may displace as many as 40 families. The call came in to the Northern Vermont Chapter’s Disaster Operations Center just before 6:00am. The Chapter’s Chittenden County Disaster Action Team (DAT) mobilized and headed out to the complex on Hildred Drive in Burlington.

While it is the understanding of the Red Cross that the fire was limited to one unit, the complex’s property manager has advised that water damage and other fire-related consequences are such that residents in 40 units have been asked to leave their housing units. As the ability to return to those units is not yet known, the Red Cross has already started working with those affected, assessing the need for emergency assistance.

To meet the potential need created by this event, the Red Cross has established a service center at their 29 Mansfield Avenue headquarters in Burlington. For anyone in need of assistance who has not yet spoken with the Red Cross, they can contact the Northern Vermont Chapter at 802-660-9130. At the service center, staff and Chittenden County Disaster Action Team members will interview those affected to determine their emergency needs.

Red Cross disaster services volunteers are located throughout the region and are trained to provide disaster relief and emotional comfort. They are available to respond at any time, day or night, to disasters in their communities or surrounding towns. While the Red Cross primarily assists with emergency shelter, food and clothing, help is also provided in the form of medical and disaster mental health services and further support is provided to those affected by making referrals to other community support resources.

All emergency assistance provided by the American Red Cross is provided without cost to the disaster victims and is made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of this and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Northern Vermont Chapter, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Services in the memo of your check.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

3 Calls to Red Cross in Just 12 Hours

SPATE OF HOUSE FIRES PROMPTS RED CROSS ACTION
Call goes out to Red Cross regarding Barre, Lydonville and Newark Fires

In a pattern that seems to be repeating itself throughout a busy winter season, calls to the Red Cross have once again come in bunches. In the course of 12 hours, on three occasions local Red Cross Disaster Action Teams either went to the scene of a house fire or were put on standby for a potential call into service.

The first call came in response to a Friday fire in Newark, VT that displaced a family of three. Volunteers with the Caledonia County Disaster Action Team (DAT) responded to a call for support, providing financial assistance to the family for food and clothing. Additionally, they supplied rehabilitative services to firefighters and other first responders from multiple area departments. Members of the Caledonia DAT also readied themselves Friday evening by being on standby should assistance have been requested for a Lyndoville, VT fire.

The third fire garnering the attention of the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross was a call to action in Barre, VT after a kitchen fire displaced a family of 8, including 2 adults and 6 children. The Red Cross’s Berlin Disaster Action Team extended support to the Barre family in the form of lodging and financial assistance for food and clothing.

American Red Cross Disaster Action Teams are comprised of volunteers who respond, day or night, to assess the needs of disaster victims and, when requested, provide aid to first responders, most often in the form of hydration, food and rehabilitative support.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Irasburg Fire Part of 30% Higher Winter Response Rate

(February 15, 2011) Fire, local emergency response and then a call to the American Red Cross. This is the chain of events that has repeated itself over and over again this winter. The latest call for Red Cross assistance was at 4:00 a.m. this morning, when members of the Orleans County Disaster Action Team, part of a network of volunteer responders with the Northern Vermont Chapter of the American Red Cross, went to the scene of a fire in Irasburg, VT. Once there, the Red Cross disaster services volunteers met with the 2 people displaced by the fire to assess their immediate, emergency needs. The 2 were helped with food, clothing and lodging. Assistance was also provided to emergency responders in the form of food and beverage.

The Irasburg fire was the third such response over the past 24 hours for the 3 chapters that comprise the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross. Yesterday afternoon, members of the Central Vermont/New Hampshire Valley’s Upper Valley Disaster Action Team responded to a call for assistance for a family of 5 displaced after a barn fire spread to a home in Royalton, VT. That family also received assistance with food, clothing and lodging. While such assistance is what is most commonly provided, the Red Cross also can also provide medical and disaster mental health services and supports families and individuals further by providing referrals to other community support resources.

The first of the most recent three fires was the fire in Lunenburg, which was the subject of a release yesterday morning. A recent review of the responses for the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross showed that this winter has seen its Disaster Action Teams called into service at a rate of 30% more than for the same period last year.

The assistance given by the Red Cross Disaster Action Teams is provided free of charge and made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of these and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Northern Vermont Chapter, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Relief in the memo of your check.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day Fire Displaces Lunenburg Family

February 14, 2011 -- For a Lunenburg family, this will not be a Valentine’s Day they will soon forget. An early morning house fire has put the family of two adults and one child out of their home. When notified about this family’s personal disaster by local first responders, Red Cross volunteers with the Northern Vermont Chapter’s Caledonia Disaster Action Team responded. While the family has a place to stay, emergency assistance was provided by the Red Cross to aid with food and clothing to help as they begin to rebuild their lives.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Red Cross at Scene of Colchester Blaze

7th Response in 9 Days for VT & NH Valley American Red Cross

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . .(Colchester, Vermont – February 9, 2011) For the third time in 24 hours, and seventh in the last nine days, Red Cross volunteers are responding to a local disaster. Disaster services volunteers with the Northern Vermont Chapter’s Chittenden County Disaster Action Team are en route to the scene of a fully-involved structure fire on Red Rock Road in Colchester.

In response to a call from the Colchester Fire Department for mass care services, the Disaster Action Team Volunteers will provide rehabilitative services to first responders. Hydration and food will be provided in support of the firefighters and others on the scene.

This assistance is on the heels of the support provided last night at the scene of a fire in East Burke, VT and the support supplied yesterday to over 50 first responders at the scene of a barn collapse in Chester, VT. “The demand for Red Cross services traditionally sees a spike in the winter months,” said Tim Stetson, Chief Response Officer of the American Red Cross in Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley. “This winter, however, we have seen a larger than normal call for our services.”

Red Cross disaster services volunteers are organized in Disaster Action Teams throughout the Vermont & New Hampshire Valley Region. In addition to the rehabilitation services provided to firefighters and other first responders, individuals and families affected by disaster are interviewed to determine their immediate, emergency needs. The Red Cross primarily assists with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services where a verified need exists and will support the families further by providing referrals to other community support resources.

As a non-governmental organization, the American Red Cross relies upon the donations of community members to ensure that disaster services are available when called upon. American Red Cross emergency assistance is provided without charge to those in need. To help victims of disaster, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Services in the memo of your check.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

East Burke Response Second for the Day

At this hour, the Northern Vermont Chapter of the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross is responding to a house fire in East Burke, VT. Members of the Chapter’s Caledonia Disaster Action Team will provide mass care support to first responders in the form of food and hydration. Additionally, Team members will interview those affected by the fire to determine their immediate emergency needs, such as shelter, food and clothing.

The East Burke response will be the second of the day for the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross. This morning, members of a Disaster Action Team in the region’s Green Mountain Chapter responded to a barn collapse in Chester, VT. Once on scene in Chester, the disaster services volunteers, with the assistance of local merchants, provided support to approximately 50 Urban Search and Rescue members and local firefighters.

After a house fire or other disaster, the recovery process begins at the moment the disaster strikes. The Red Cross, which is mandated by a Congressional Charter to provide relief during times of disaster, carries out that Charter through the work of Chapters across the country. Across the three Chapters that make up the Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley Region, this relief is carried out by a network of local, volunteer Disaster Action Teams.

Green Mtn. DAT on the Scene of Chester Barn Collapse

Support being provided to first responders and Urban Search & Rescue

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Chester, VT . . . February 8, 2011) Red Cross volunteers with the Green Mountain Chapter’s Disaster Action Team (DAT) are on the scene of a barn collapse in Chester, VT this morning. The DAT members are supporting first responders, including the Chester Fire Department and members of Urban Search and Rescue from Hartford, VT, Springfield, VT, Rutland, VT and Brattleboro, VT. An 80 foot section of a 200 foot barn has collapsed, trapping at least 32 cows. Several cows have been extracted, but work continues.

The Disaster Action Team members, who are a part of a network of disaster services volunteers throughout Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley, first arrived on the scene at 7:00 a.m.. The Red Cross volunteers are supporting the first responders with hydration and food as they combat difficult circumstances and falling temperatures. Disaster Action Teams respond day or night to assess the needs of disaster victims and, when requested, provide aid to first responders, most often in the form of hydration and rehabilitative support.

The efforts of Red Cross Disaster Action Teams are supported by contributions from members of the community, both monetary and, as on this occasion, in the form of products. The owners of Chester Jiffy Mart, Lisias Market, and Heritage Deli have all provide food and beverage, free of charge, to assist with the mass care being provided by the Red Cross in Chester today.

All American Red Cross emergency assistance is provided free of charge and made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of these and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Northern Vermont Chapter, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Relief in the memo of your check.

Friday, February 4, 2011

3 Fires in 3 Days -- Response Supported by Local Contributions

For several families in our area, digging out from this week’s snow was the least of their worries. Over the course of three days, four families were put out of their homes by fire and each time the Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross stepped in to help those affected. The ability to provide such assistance locally is not sustained by funds provided by the American National Red Cross in Washington, D.C., nor is it available because of federal funds, despite a Congressional mandate to provide relief during times of disaster. The Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley Region of the American Red Cross, and in turn the support provided to local victims of disaster, is sustained by the support of donors in our region.

Yesterday, members of the Berlin Disaster Action Team of the Central VT/NH Valley Chapter of the Red Cross, stepped in to help the latest victims of fire. After a Middlesex family of three was displaced by a fire late Wednesday evening, emergency assistance was provided, ensuring that the immediate sheltering needs were met and financial resources available for food and clothing.

The Middlesex fire comes on the heels of Tuesday’s apartment fire in Canaan, NH affecting two families and an early morning house fire in Monkton on Wednesday. In each instance, Red Cross assistance was provided.

After a house fire or other disaster, the recovery process begins at the moment the disaster strikes. The Red Cross, who is mandated by a Congressional Charter to provide relief during times of disaster, carries out that Charter through the work of Chapters across the country. Across the three Chapters that make up the Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley Region, this relief is carried out by a network of local, volunteer Disaster Action Teams.

When called upon by local officials or those displaced by fire or other disaster, the Red Cross assists with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services and supports families and individuals further by providing referrals to other community support resources. Those affected by disaster are interviewed to determine their immediate, emergency needs. Disaster Action Team members, when called upon, also provide rehydration and food to firefighters and other first responders on the scene of disaster.

Despite a Congressional mandate to respond during times of disaster, the American Red Cross is not funded by any federal or state budget line items. Additionally, while a part of the American National Red Cross, local Red Cross chapters, like the three that comprise the Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley Region, do not receive annual funding from its national parent organization. In fact, local chapters pay a national assessment to the American National Red Cross.

In fulfillment of its humanitarian mission, all emergency assistance provided by the Red Cross is provided without charge. To fund this assistance, and to support the training and tools required to respond, the Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross relies upon donations made by members of the community.

To help the victims of this and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Services in the memo of your check.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Addison County Disaster Action Team Aids Bristol Man

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Briston, VT -- February 2, 2011) A man found himself out of his house today after fire struck his Bristol home early this morning. The Red Cross, fulfilling its mission to provide disaster relief, stepped in to offer assistance. The call came in to the Disaster Operations Center for the Northern Vermont Chapter and the Addison County Disaster Action Team was contacted. A disaster services volunteer immediately reached out to the man displaced by this disaster, ultimately providing financial assistance to help as he begins the recovery process.

When called upon by local officials or those displaced by fire or other disaster, the Red Cross assists with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services and supports families and individuals further by providing referrals to other community support resources.

All American Red Cross emergency assistance is provided free of charge and made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of these and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Northern Vermont Chapter, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Relief in the memo of your check.

Canaan Fire Draws Red Cross Response

(Canaan, NH -- February 1, 2011) At this hour, Red Cross volunteers are on the scene of an apartment fire in Canaan, NH. The structure is a 2-unit apartment building, with 3 residents in one unit and 1 resident in the second apartment. The responding disaster services volunteers are from the Central VT/NH Valley Chapter’s Upper Valley Disaster Action Team.

“Whatever difficulties we are all facing with today’s storm, they cannot compare with the upheaval that faces those displaced by fire or other disaster,” said Bruce Pollock, Emergency Services Director for the Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross. “Whether it is the comfort provided by a sympathetic ear or direct assistance, the Red Cross will provide emergency assistance to the affected residents,” Pollock added.

When called upon by local officials or those displaced by fire or other disaster, the Red Cross assists with emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and disaster mental health services and supports families further by providing referrals to other community support resources.

All American Red Cross emergency assistance is provided free of charge and made possible by donations from fellow community members. To help the victims of these and other disasters, donations can be made to the American Red Cross by sending a contribution to the American Red Cross, Northern Vermont Chapter, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401-3323. Please specify Disaster Relief in the memo of your check.