Help us help Moore

Yesterday, as I watched the live news feed from Moore, OK, after the city and surrounding area were decimated by a tornado, I wanted to cry.

I wanted to be there to comfort those who lost loved ones.

I wanted to grab a shovel – or a pick – or anything to help dig through the rubble to look for people who might be trapped.

I felt hopeless to do anything but watch. I felt numb.

Yet, through all of the devastation; through all of the turmoil and tears, people immediately reached out to help.

First responders who lived close to the devastated area rushed in to help. People from throughout the country asked what they could do to provide relief and bring comfort to those thousands who were affected.

While it’s not possible for most of us to help in person, there are still a number of ways you can help:

• Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
• Click here to donate to the Red Cross online. You can select whether to have your donation applied where the need is greatest or give it directly to your local chapter.
• Download the Red Cross Tornado App available from the Apple Store for Iphone devices, or from Google  Play for Android devices. If you know someone who lives in Tornado Alley, make sure they have the app downloaded on their mobile devices, too. The app sounds an alert when severe weather is in the area, shows the nearest Red Cross shelters, and provides checklists to help you prepare for and recover from a tornado.
• If you were in the Moore area during the tornado, or if you are looking for someone who was in the Moore area during the tornado, to go to the Red Cross Safe and Well site to list yourself as safe and well or to search for others.
• Give blood. The need is always great but it is especially important to ensure blood supplies are available after disasters occur. Many people were injured in the Moore area because of flying debris. Many pints of blood and blood products will be used in the coming days to help those people recover. Click here to find the nearest blood donation center. The need is constant; the gratification is instant.
• Become a volunteer with the SW Washington Region of the American Red Cross by calling 360-693-5821 or stopping by the local Red Cross headquarters at 3114 East Fourth Plain Blvd, Vancouver.

Right now, anything you can do will help. Please help us help Moore.

Sue Anderson
SW Washington Red Cross Media Team

Onward to Vancouver: On the Road with Wendy and Randy

This series documents the volunteer efforts of SW Washington Red Cross volunteers Wendy Parmeter and Randy Anderson. They left Vancouver on Nov. 2, drove an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) cross-county to New York City to help with Red Cross response efforts there. 

The work of the American Red Cross depends on your donations. If you can help, please go to www.redcross.org. 

Many blood donation centers on the East Coast are closed because of damage from Hurricane Sandy. Blood supplies are better but as we near the holidays, the need will grow. If you can donate blood, please visit www.redcrossblood.org to find the nearest blood donation center. 

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From Randy:

We finished our out-processing yesterday and were given hotel rooms in Manhattan last night. We will catch a flight to Vancouver later this afternoon. It felt good to have a long, hot shower and good night’s sleep.

Our deployment has certainly been an interesting adventure and we appreciate everyone who sent messages and took some interest in our trip.

A few days ago, there was an article critical of the Red Cross response to Hurricane Sandy. For the hundreds of volunteers sleeping on a cots in a shelter and putting in long days, that can sting. We don’t always get it right, and I don’t think we do a very good job reminding people that most of us are just volunteers who do the best we can.

Given the scale of this disaster, it is sometimes difficult to know whether what we do as a single individual or ERV crew can really make a difference. I do know that everywhere we went, many people went out of their way to say “Thank you, Red Cross!”

In one area where we delivered food, a man came up to us and said he did not need anything but just wanted to say thanks. He had been a first-responder after the 9-11 attack. He said the Red Cross had been one of the first organizations to respond and had provided him with much needed food and support. He just wanted us to know how important that had been for him at that time.

Sometimes we do get it right. All-in-all, it’s a humbling experience.

Onward to Vancouver!

Our last night in New York.

On the road with Wendy & Randy

This is the second post in a series that is chronicling the cross-country trip with two of our local SW Washington Red Cross volunteers. They are driving the local Emergency Response Vehicle back to White Plains, NY, and will spend 2 weeks helping with clean-up after Hurricane Sandy. 

If you’d like to help, too, please consider giving blood or donating through the redcross.org website.

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Wendy and Randy drove for 5 hours Friday night before stopping. They’d made it to La Grande, OR and were tired. The plan was to meet the next morning for a 7am departure.

It’s was a short night but Saturday morning, they were on the road again!

Randy’s email said it all:

First break this morning; just entering Idaho. Stayed in La Grande last night. We are heading to Ogden, Utah to catch I-80 which we’ll then follow to NY. Total trip will be about 3000 miles. GPS says about 2500 miles to go!

Roads are good and ERV is running like a champ!

We’ve made it to Idaho!

Red Cross Month: LaCenter Proclamation

March is Red Cross Month. 

Throughout the month, we’ll highlight cities throughout our region who are celebrating with us by signing March is Red Cross Month proclamations.

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Our thanks to Mayor Jim Irish and the City of LaCenter for proclaiming March 2012 as American Red Cross Month. Serving the six-county region of SW Washington is a job we take very seriously. We couldn’t do it without your support!

Red Cross Month: Kalama Proclamation

March is Red Cross Month. 

Throughout the month, we’ll highlight cities throughout our region who are celebrating with us by signing March is Red Cross Month proclamations.

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Our thanks to Mayor Pete Poulsen and the City of Kalama for proclaiming March 2012 as American Red Cross Month. We are proud to serve the the SW Washington Region, and to provide help and assistance when needed.