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.
