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.
