In Case You Missed It - Jan 26

Red Cross Volunteers and Local 273 Firefighters of New Rochelle Fire Dept. going door to door to inspect and install smoke alarms for the community.

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 133 adults and 39 children following 54 local disasters. Here are some highlights of responses and activities from last week:

• With a historic storm about to hit the Greater New York area, over the weekend, the Red Cross urged residents to prepare for the storm.
• NYC Council member of the 7th District, Mark Levine recognized the Red Cross response to a fire on W. 144th street that left 3 families homeless with this tweet.
• Our colleagues in the North Jersey region responded to a massive fire Wednesday afternoon at Edgewater, New Jersey. The fire destroyed 408 apartments and left thousands homeless.
• Earlier that Wednesday, there was a tragic fire in Brooklyn. Our deepest condolences go out to family members of the deceased. The Red Cross was on the scene to help residents of the building with emergency assistance like food, clothing and shelter.
• On Monday, as part of Martin Luther King Day of Service, Red Cross volunteers went door-to-door to distribute fire safety and preparedness information in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
• Red Cross Club/Youth Volunteers also did their part by participating in a Mapathon, which was a part of the Missing Maps project who help map the world’s most vulnerable populations.

In Case You Missed It - Jan 19

Red Cross Volunteer NataliaAlvarez-Plaud discusses fire safety with Alvaro Torres while Local 273 firefighters install smoke detectors in New Rochelle.

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 143 adults and 89 children following 66 local disasters. Here are some highlights of responses and activities from the last week:

Post by Abby Adams.

• Saturday afternoon, more than two dozen people were forced out of their homes as a result of a 3-alarm fire in Washington Heights. The Red Cross assisted dozens of residents at the scene and provided one family with temporary lodging.
• Last Thursday night, Red Cross case manager Christopher Losavio was recognized by New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) with the Partner of the Year, Tenacity Award for his efforts in helping New Yorkers with long-term Sandy recovery.
• Earlier on Thursday, the Red Cross was stationed at the Brentwood Public Library in Nassau County, meeting with local residents to schedule free smoke alarm installation appointments in the Brentwood/Bay Shore area. More than 60 smoke alarms were installed throughout the day.
• Also on Thursday, Red Cross volunteers, along with New Rochelle Fire Department Local 273, went door-to-door in New Rochelle to install free smoke detectors in neighborhoods that have seen a high incidence of home fires over the past year.
• After a multiple-alarm fire tore through a 3-story apartment building in Yonkers Wednesday morning, more than 50 residents were forced from their homes in the bitter cold. Red Cross teams were at the scene and setup a relief center at a nearby Police Athletic League. Red Cross volunteers worked with local partners to ensure that the emergency needs of all affected were met. This included safe shelter, warm meals and emotional support. The Red Cross operated a shelter at the PAL for several days.
• On Tuesday, the Greater NY Red Cross published a map of all the 2014 disaster responses in New York City. Greater New York is the busiest Red Cross region in the country.
• Also on Tuesday, we posted a story of Raymond Pichardo and his family who turned to the Red Cross after a fire destroyed their apartment in the Bronx.
• January 12, 2015 marked the 5-year anniversary of the Haiti Earthquake. We took a look back at some of the personal stories that marked the Greater NY Red Cross response to this catastrophic event on our blog here.

In Case You Missed It - Jan 12

Firefighters respond to a Mount Kisco house fire on Spring Street. Photo Credit: Eric Hartmann

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 157 adults and 46 children following 67 local disasters. Here are some highlights of our responses and other activities from the last week:

• At 5 A.M. on Saturday, the Red Cross responded to a house fire that broke out in Mount Kisco. The Red Cross was able to provide the displaced family that included four children, with emergency housing and financial assistance for food, diapers and transportation.
• Friday evening, a blaze tore through the fifth and sixth floors of a Bronx apartment building. The Red Cross assisted dozens of those residents in frigid temperatures with comfort and support. Seven families were provided with emergency housing.
• On Thursday, The New York Times published a great article about the lasting impact of home fires. Friday, we posted a follow-up to this piece on our blog with a different perspective.
• On Wednesday, four Greenpoint families in Brooklyn were left homeless by a fire that raged through their apartment building. None of the families required housing, but the Red Cross was able to provide emergency funds to three of the families.
• Due to the extremely cold weather, the Red Cross worked closely with Yonkers OEM to ensure a shelter would be open for those who might need it.
• In the middle of the week, some Red Cross volunteers in Metro New York North were brought up to speed on the latest in Disaster Services training.
• Earlier in the week, the Red Cross urged New Yorkers to be safe amid the cold front with some cold weather safety tips. Our Communications Officers spoke to Fios1 and 1010WINS on the dangers of extreme cold and the importance of having a plan.
• Earlier in the week, in the span of less than 24 hours, Red Cross responders from Metro New York North responded to a rash of four fires throughout the region—assisting a total of thirteen families (24 adults, three children and an infant). Three of those fires—in Haverstraw, Yonkers and Mount Vernon—were reported by lohud.com.

Thank you to the American Red Cross for their support the past few days #shelter @Csher999 @redcrossny @RedCrossMetroN @RedCross @kellymnyc
— Yonkers OEM (@YonkersOEM1) January 9, 2015

Preparing for and Responding to Home Fires

A Red Cross team assess the damage to a fire following
fire on Christmas Eve in Jackson Heights (credit: M. Kokic).

The article in yesterday's NY Times, “Learn, Baby, Learn” by Steven Kurutz, provides an important reminder of the lasting impact that home fires can have one people’s lives. Not only are fires one of the leading causes of death in America – 7 fatalities per day in the United States on average – but they also devastate a household’s emotional and financial stability.

The NYC-area sees more home fires than anywhere else in the nation, and these numbers spike when temperatures drop. At fire scenes every day and night, after heroic firefighters extinguish a blaze, our Red Cross volunteers provide assistance and comfort to our devastated fellow New Yorkers who have just experienced a shocking life event. All too often, these life-claiming, soul-crushing events are entirely preventable.

Amid the recent arctic weather, I want to reiterate the importance of being mindful of the risks of using space heaters, fireplaces, candles and even stoves when heating your homes. A functioning smoke alarm is also invaluable in keeping your household safe—60% of fire deaths occur in households without a working fire alarm.

While fires can occur in any neighborhood, the majority of them occur in the most vulnerable communities in and around our City. Every day and night, thousands of times per year, trained Red Cross volunteers are aiding stunned families who have just fled for their lives, and who can least afford a catastrophic life event.

At the Red Cross we’re proud of our volunteers for serving our neighbors in need. But we would rather our fellow New Yorkers take basic steps to prevent a horrific fire from ever occurring: install and test your smoke alarms regularly, and heat your home safely.  A few minutes of preparation could save you and your family years of heartache.

Sincerely,

Josh Lockwood

Regional CEO

American Red Cross in Greater New York

In Case You Missed It - Jan 5

American Red Cross Disaster Relief volunteer Esme Ingledew takes notes as others clean up after a fire at the Housing Authority of Greenwich's Wilbur Peck Court apartments in Greenwich, CT. Photo: Tyler Sizemore

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 112 adults and 45 children following 58 local disasters. Here are some highlights of responses and activities from the last week:

Last Week in Review

• On the morning of January 3, the Red Cross provided emergency housing and funds for food and clothing to 8 families displaced by a fire in Spring Valley.
• On New Year’s Day, Red Cross volunteers provided emergency assistance at the scene of a tragic 3-alarm fire on 57th Ave in Queens.
• Red Cross volunteers provided support at the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration.
• Regional CEO Josh Lockwood wished everyone a Happy New Year. 
• We took a look back at some of our most iconic images from 2014.
• Following a dramatic rescue in North Amityville (Long Island), where two police officers pulled out two family members from a burning house, the Red Cross provided emergency housing to those affected.
• On December 30, the Red Cross responded to a pair of fires in Monticello: one fire left a single man homeless and the other displaced a family with two children.
• The day before, Red Cross Metro New York North volunteers in Greenwich, C.T. assisted two families who were displaced after a Christmas tree fire—a gentle reminder of the importance of fire safety during this time of year.
• We paid tribute to all the hopeful and resilient New Yorkers we helped in 2014 with this video.