Volunteers providing immediate emergency assistance for 18 people
Volunteers from the American Red Cross responded to two home fires in Central New York Tuesday morning, providing immediate emergency assistance for a total of 18 people. Red Cross assistance typically includes funding for temporary housing, food and clothing as needed, and specially-trained Disaster Mental Health volunteers are available to help those affected deal with the emotional aspect of their disaster. Affected families will meet with caseworkers in the coming days to work on a long-term recovery plan.
In Madison County, Disaster Action Team volunteers responded to a fire on Black Creek Road in Chittenango. Eleven residents are displaced. A team from Onondaga County was dispatched to a fire on Marcellus Street in Syracuse to help a family of seven.
The Red Cross asks everyone to help Sound the Alarm in Western and Central New York, and be part of the nationwide Red Cross effort to help reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by home fires. As part of the Home Fire Campaign, the Red Cross is joining with fire departments and community groups nationwide to install free smoke alarms in homes that need them. For more information, or to schedule an alarm installation, please visit www.soundthealarm.org/wcny.
You can help people affected by disasters like home fires and countless other crises by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-REDCROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.