Red Cross Ready to Act During State of
Emergency
NEWTON, NJ March 10, 2011 - Governor
Christie has declared a state of emergency to mobilize the
National Guard and state police, as record flooding is feared in
North Jersey, where the Ramapo, Passaic and Raritan Rivers
overflowed during last weekend's heavy rain.
Pat Day, Executive Director of the Sussex
County Chapter of the American Red Cross, said "You don’t need
to tune into the Weather Channel to know that storms and
flooding are impacting countless communities. As such, American
Red Cross disaster services teams are knee-deep in disaster
responses throughout the country”. Day continued, “Locally,
trained Sussex County Disaster Services volunteers have been at
work since last Sunday. In fact three of our most experienced
volunteers, Sherry Clain, Jim Rich and Jackie Cascio have been
serving in leadership positions in the Red Cross disaster relief
operation headquartered in Ridgewood this week, all the while
monitoring conditions here in Sussex County.
Sherry Clain, Chair of
Emergency Services, reported, “The Sussex County Chapter
of the American Red Cross is actively engaged in the preparation
and response planning for the potential flooding within Sussex
County and Northern New Jersey. Red Cross Chapters have been in
contact with their respective County Offices of Emergency
Management and local Red Cross volunteers are ready to respond
if a shelter needs to be opened in Sussex County.” Clain added,
“In regard to working with the Northern New Jersey Region of the
American Red Cross in preparing for the floods, the Sussex
County Chapter has 3 volunteers in leadership roles within the
Region and 26 volunteers who have been assigned shelter shifts
thru Sunday if a shelter or shelters need to be open anywhere in
the NNJ Region”.
If your neighbors need to
evacuate, your Red Cross is ready to assist with sheltering,
food and clean up kits to help in their recovery. In
response to this disaster, the Red Cross is acting quickly:
-
Pre-deploying cots, clean-up kits and
blankets as well as opening up shelters in anticipation of
flooding.
-
Readying our network of volunteers to
deploy through the weekend to distribute supplies to
affected families, open shelters and provide health and
mental health services.
-
Mobile food trucks are staged and ready
to go and clean-up kits with water absorbent brooms, mops,
bleach and disinfectant are also available.
-
Damage Assessment teams are prepared to
deploy throughout the area evaluating the damage. This
information is used to determine the services needed from
the Red Cross and other agencies to meet the needs of
individuals and families affected.
We need your help. When power is out, people
need a hot meal. When homes are flooded, people need a place to
stay and supplies for clean-up. Your Red Cross is there
immediately to shelter, feed people and provide supplies but not
without your help. You can help your neighbors affected by
disasters here in Sussex County by making a donation to support
your local Red Cross. Your gift enables us to prepare for and
provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in
response to disasters.
Donations can be mailed to: Sussex County
Chapter of the American Red Cross, 93 Spring Street, Suite 101,
Newton, NJ 07860 (Note Disaster Assistance in the memo section
of the check) or you can call 973-579-1600 during business hours
to make a donation via credit card. Thank you for turning your
compassion into action and assisting the American Red Cross with
your financial contribution.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and
provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies
nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills;
provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military
members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable
organization — not a government agency — and depends on
volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform
its mission. For more information, please visit
www.sussexredcross.org or call our office at 973-579-1600.
