Red Cross Relief Efforts

When disasters happen, hundreds or even thousands of men and women volunteer their time and effort to making life better for those who were affected. The American Red Cross employs many people nationwide to help with disaster relief efforts. The same holds true in Onondaga County, according to Richard Blansett, director of public support at the Red Cross. “So far we’ve deployed twenty-six people to the gulf coast. Some of those folks have already come home. They’ve been out for more than three weeks.”

The Syracuse chapter of the Red Cross has one emergency response vehicle for local emergencies such as house fires, and another that can be deployed at a moments notice to a national disaster site. The most common use of an ERV in the time of a national disaster is to deliver food to hundreds or even thousands of those affected.

Whether a home or on the road, all types of disaster relief is important for their own reasons. One volunteer who worked in the gulf coast earlier this season says, “No matter what the disaster is whether it’s a single family fire or a huge disaster like Gustav and Ike, they’re so very appreciative of any assistance you can give to them.