Red Cross in Washington Updates Services

American Red Cross disaster relief operation continues to  adjust its service locations and services to address changing community needs.  Locations and details found here:

Feeding Adna

In a small rural town near Chehalis, Wash, life revolves around the local high school – basketball games, fundraisers and parent-teacher conferences keep families and neighbors connected. And residents of Adna and the American Red Cross weren’t going to allow a flood to disrupt that tradition. Volunteers delivered warm meals to the Adna High School to give families a break from cleaning up their homes and property, visit with friends and learn about flood relief services available in the community. The more than 150 mud-caked boots that walked through the cafeteria doors symbolized this community’s resiliency and the tight-knit community the Red Cross is working so hard to restore.

Community Meetings

During a recent community meeting in Rochester, Wash., Red Cross volunteer Zach Sullivan visited with a Thurston County family affected by the flood, helped them identify their needs and set priorities for their recovery. Red Cross caseworkers, in partnership with other community organizations, are offering assistance and advice to residents at more than a dozen town hall meetings scheduled this week in Southwest Washington.

Shelter Clowns

Shelter residents and Red Cross workers took a minute to clown around with comedic entertainers from Yakima, Wash., and relieve some stress caused by last week’s flooding. The troop lifted spirits, brought joy and laughter for the dozens of families staying at Red Cross shelter in the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Chehalis, Wash.

Play Area

Red Cross volunteer Susan Winters plays with children while parents receive flood relief assistance at the service center established at the Bethel Church in Chehalis, Wash. Last week’s events were undoubtedly frightening for adults, but they were especially traumatic for children. With the help of the local community and their families, the Red Cross is trying to restore daily routines to help children cope with their anxiety by providing a safe place to play and talk about their experiences. The simple act of playing with dolls and trucks, something they did regularly before the disaster, helps reduce their fears and gives them hope. Licensed mental health professionals are available to provide emotional support to children and adults afftected by the flood at all Red Cross sites in Southwest Washington.

It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s a Red Cross Volunteer!

By Lise Harwin, Marketing & Communications, American Red Cross – Oregon Trail Chapter 

It doesn’t take Superman to save lives in a small town. It just takes Clark Kent…or at least a guy with glasses.

Peter Williamson, a long-time volunteer with the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross, put those specs to good use on Tuesday, Dec. 4, after rainfall had ravaged Oregon’s coastal communities.

Amateur Radio Provides Lifeline During Disaster

By Nick Samaniego, Media & Government Affairs, American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, on assignment in Oregon 

Beaverton, Ore. – Hard hitting disasters like the recent Northwest storms can knock communications for a loop. In Oregon, thousands of homes and businesses were left “power-less” – without utilities, telephones or any lines of communication to outside help.  Luckily, local residents in storm ravaged areas could depend on a handful of specially trained volunteers dedicated to an old-fashioned method of information sharing – ham radio.

American Red Cross Video Feeds Now Available

All material from ARC video crews is available for viewing and download via our FTP site.

To access the FTP site go to:

www.videobluemoon.com/login.php

In the e-mail address field, type oregonflood (as written: lower case – one word)

Password: redcross (again, as written)

In the index page that follows, just click on the link for the video you want to see.

A page will build (after a few moments) that includes a viewing frame with a still image from the video.  To view the video, just click on the image. QuickTime must be installed on the computer for this video to be seen. (most computers used by TV personnel will have it installed) It’s a free plug-in from Apple available at www.apple.com.

The video can either be viewed for preview, or downloaded by newsroom personnel for broadcast. The video is a MPEG-2 program stream file – high resolution for broadcast.

Red Cross pledge: We help victims of all disasters, large and small

PORTLAND, Ore. – The American Red Cross would like to express its gratitude to for the generous support Oregonians are demonstrating by helping their neighbors affected by the recent flooding in Clatsop, Colombia, Coos, Lincoln, Polk, Tillamook, Washington and Yamhill counties. Our disaster response volunteers are working long hours with community partners to continue meeting the needs of families impacted by these tragic events so close to the holidays.  

Right time and place

He has been dubbed the “Red Cross Baby.” Dagoh Jackson Howell-Patron was born late in the evening on December, 9, weighing 7lbs. 4oz. and measuring 20.5 inches in length.