The Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign begins Monday, Oct. 3, when the Red Cross will announce the post office box for sending holiday cards to service members, military hospital patients and veterans. The Holiday Mail campaign is now in its fifth year and has distributed about 3 million holiday cards.
Anyone can participate in this event by simply signing a card and sending it to the post office box before Dec. 9. All cards will be scanned for biohazard and explosives, in accordance with Department of Defense policy, and then sent to Red Cross chapters for distribution. Cards should be addressed to "any service member."
Please follow these guidelines if you send a card:
1. Do not include personal information, such as address, telephone number or email address.
2. Do not put money or any other gift in the envelope; these cannot be forwarded to service members.
3. Do not include any inserts or glitter in the cards (glitter can cause problems in hospitals).
4. Do not send letters with your cards. A simple greeting and expression of gratitude and encouragement is sufficient.
Cards sent to the HMFH post office box are sent to Red Cross chapters, after security scanning, for distribution at military posts, hospitals, Reserve or National Guard centers, Veterans Administration hospitals or clinics, and veterans' organizations. The cards provide a morale boost for active duty military personnel as well as for veterans and families of service members.
The post office address for Holiday Mail will be heavily publicized during the first week of October, so watch for announcements.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Oct. 8 Ride for Heroes invites bicyclists to ride
Heroes Ride on Two Wheels
More than 100 bicyclists will depart the Imperial Centre in downtown Rocky Mount Saturday morning, Oct. 8, for a non-competitive ride through Rocky Mount and Nash County. In addition to a pleasant ride through the countryside on an autumn morning, cyclists will get the satisfaction of knowing their pedaling will support the disaster relief efforts of the American Red Cross.
All proceeds from the Ride for Heroes will go to the Frederick E. Turnage Chapter’s Disaster Relief Fund. The Turnage chapter provides Red Cross services in five counties (Nash, Edgecombe, Wilson, Halifax and Northampton). As a regional chapter, it also has oversight over a 28-county region, and all of those counties were affected by Hurricane Irene. Red Cross disaster funds have been depleted by the expense of providing immediate relief and recovery assistance to thousands of North Carolina residents. Immediately before and following Hurricane Irene’s landfall on Aug. 27, the Red Cross opened 57 shelters in eastern North Carolina for evacuees and recorded more than 8,000 overnight stays in those shelters, making it the largest sheltering operation in North Carolina since Hurricane Floyd in 1999. To provide nourishment to storm victims, the Red Cross served nearly 165,000 meals and more than 230,000 snacks. More than 750 Red Cross volunteers and staff were involved in the disaster relief operation.
Bicycle enthusiasts can enjoy rides of 25, 50 or 100 kilometers (17, 33 or 62 miles) with the knowledge that they are helping the Red Cross assist disaster victims. Each course includes stops for nourishment and hydration and, if needed, bathroom breaks. Course maps are available online. Each course weaves through rolling countryside with maximum elevation changes of 75 to 100 feet, and each begins and ends at the Imperial Centre. To see the course maps or to register online, visit www.turnageredcross.org and click on the Ride for Heroes link. Registration is $30 per cyclist until Oct. 6. Ride day registration will be $35, and each registrant receives a T-shirt.
Sponsorships are available ranging from $100 to $1,000. Sponsors can contribute to Ride for Heroes via a credit card by clicking the Ride for Heroes link at www.turnageredcross.org and choosing the Ride for Heroes sponsorship link.
Ride for Heroes coincides with the Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown taking place Oct. 8 at the Train Station a few blocks away from the Imperial Centre. The Throwdown is a two-day, sanctioned, national barbecue competition and celebration. See details at http://www.bbqthrowdown.net or follow the link at the Ride for Heroes website.
Cycling fans are welcome to greet participants and cheer them on along the route and at the finish line.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Be prepared for possible terrorist attacks
The 10th anniversary of 9/11 reminds us of the need to be prepared for the unexpected emergency. None of the thousands of people in the World Trade Center that beautiful morning had any idea that they would find themselves scrambling for their lives. Residents of lower Manhattan had no idea that their homes and neighborhoods would become a war zone with toxic dust everywhere. The first responders who went into the towers didn't know what they faced.
Usually when we talk about preparing for disasters, we are referring to hurricanes or tornadoes or fires, but the threat of a terrorist attack is also a very real possibility in this age. Just as our parents and grandparents posted Civil Defense signs, created fallout shelters and prepared for a nuclear attack in the 1950s, today's generation must be prepared for the possibility of a terrorist bombing or military-style attack.
If a terrorist attack shut down electric power, contaminated the water supply, spread deadly disease or released radioactive dust, would you be prepared? These situations might require you to "shelter in place," sealing your home and subsisting on what you have on hand. That is why every family should have an emergency plan and an emergency kit that includes medication, hygiene supplies, important papers, water (one gallon per person per day), and non-perishable food.
The Red Cross is prepared to shelter the survivors of a terrorist attack, just as they did in 2001, when 60 shelters housed 3,554 families and served more than 14 million meals. The Red Cross in partnership with other agencies, formed the Liberty Fund to distribute the $1.1 billion in donations following 9/11. All of that money has been distributed, including $700 million spent in the first year, with just $130,000 remaining. Most of that sum will be spent closing out the remaining active grants.
In a world where a handful of terrorists can bring down tall buildings and blow a hole in the Pentagon, it behooves all of us to prepare for the worst even as we hope for the best and trust military and intelligence agencies to obstruct potential attackers.
Usually when we talk about preparing for disasters, we are referring to hurricanes or tornadoes or fires, but the threat of a terrorist attack is also a very real possibility in this age. Just as our parents and grandparents posted Civil Defense signs, created fallout shelters and prepared for a nuclear attack in the 1950s, today's generation must be prepared for the possibility of a terrorist bombing or military-style attack.
If a terrorist attack shut down electric power, contaminated the water supply, spread deadly disease or released radioactive dust, would you be prepared? These situations might require you to "shelter in place," sealing your home and subsisting on what you have on hand. That is why every family should have an emergency plan and an emergency kit that includes medication, hygiene supplies, important papers, water (one gallon per person per day), and non-perishable food.
The Red Cross is prepared to shelter the survivors of a terrorist attack, just as they did in 2001, when 60 shelters housed 3,554 families and served more than 14 million meals. The Red Cross in partnership with other agencies, formed the Liberty Fund to distribute the $1.1 billion in donations following 9/11. All of that money has been distributed, including $700 million spent in the first year, with just $130,000 remaining. Most of that sum will be spent closing out the remaining active grants.
In a world where a handful of terrorists can bring down tall buildings and blow a hole in the Pentagon, it behooves all of us to prepare for the worst even as we hope for the best and trust military and intelligence agencies to obstruct potential attackers.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The storm next time
Much of eastern North Carolina is under a tornado watch until 2 p.m. today as a line of thunderstorms moves across the state. North Carolina is expected to receive heavy rains over the next couple of days as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee move northward from the Gulf Coast.
The good news on the horizon is that Hurricane Katia now is expected to turn sharply eastward away from the North Carolina coastline in the next few days. On the heels of Hurricane Irene, Katia could have caused more severe damage to the coastline if the powerful storm were to come ashore. If forecasts are correct, Katia will remain at sea and cause no damage to the coast.
Red Cross volunteers remain vigilant, however. Volunteers at the Turnage Chapter in Rocky Mount gathered Saturday to replenish supplies in shelter trailers that had been depleted by the Hurricane Irene response. They know that even if Katia is not the next big storm, there will be a next big storm sometime, and they have to be ready.
The good news on the horizon is that Hurricane Katia now is expected to turn sharply eastward away from the North Carolina coastline in the next few days. On the heels of Hurricane Irene, Katia could have caused more severe damage to the coastline if the powerful storm were to come ashore. If forecasts are correct, Katia will remain at sea and cause no damage to the coast.
Red Cross volunteers remain vigilant, however. Volunteers at the Turnage Chapter in Rocky Mount gathered Saturday to replenish supplies in shelter trailers that had been depleted by the Hurricane Irene response. They know that even if Katia is not the next big storm, there will be a next big storm sometime, and they have to be ready.
Hurricane Irene and other disasters
The Hurricane Irene relief effort is winding down, leaving behind staggering numbers to match the terrible destruction caused by the storm that made landfall along the N.C. Outer Banks Aug. 27. In eastern North Carolina, the American Red Cross:
+ Opened 56 shelters for evacuees; as of Sunday, three shelters remained open.
+ Recorded 7,745 overnight stays in shelters (as of Sept. 4).
+ Opened five kitchens and served 145,129 meals and 208,669 snacks.
+ Scrambled 67 Emergency Response Vehicles to provide food and supplies to hurricane victims.
+ Provided 2,879 health services contacts and 833 mental health contacts to hurricane victims.
+ Distributed 28,086 bulk items, such as comfort kits and cleanup kits.
Hurricane Irene was not an isolated event. After leaving North Carolina, Irene continued northward, eventually crossing into Canada after causing the worst flooding in a generation in Vermont. Flooding was also severe in New Jersey, and states all along the eastern seaboard felt Irene's fury. Nationwide, the Red Cross:
+ Served more than 1.2 million meals and snacks.
+ Provided about 56,000 overnight stays in shelters from North Carolina to New England.
+ Mobilized more than 5,600 Red Cross workers who worked with community partners to provide relief to many thousands of hurricane victims.
The Red Cross estimates its total cost for the Hurricane Irene relief operation will be $10 million to $15 million. Because it is not a government agency and does not receive federal funding, the Red Cross has to raise every dollar spent on hurricane relief. Donations may be made to the local chapter or to the national disaster relief fund at P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Donations may be made online at www.redcross.org or by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS. Mobile phone users may make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999.
Although Irene garnered most of the national media's attention over the past week, it is not the only disaster the Red Cross is responding to. Tropical Storm Lee has inundated the Gulf Coast with heavy rains, causing severe flooding in several areas. Red Cross volunteers are still helping flood victims in Minot, N.D., where thousands of homes were destroyed by June floods. Also, wildfires in California and Texas have forced evacuations and brought Red Cross response. Altogether, the Red Cross responds to about 70,000 disasters each year, most of them single-family fires, and relies on the generosity of donors to provide relief for these disaster victims.
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene also disrupt the blood supply. Irene forced the cancellation of 84 Red Cross blood drives, resulting in a shortfall of nearly 3,000 blood donations. Eligible donors (17 years old and weighing 110 pounds or more, depending on height) are urged to donate blood in order to replenish the supply of life-giving blood. Donors may schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or by going to www.redcrossblood.org.
+ Opened 56 shelters for evacuees; as of Sunday, three shelters remained open.
+ Recorded 7,745 overnight stays in shelters (as of Sept. 4).
+ Opened five kitchens and served 145,129 meals and 208,669 snacks.
+ Scrambled 67 Emergency Response Vehicles to provide food and supplies to hurricane victims.
+ Provided 2,879 health services contacts and 833 mental health contacts to hurricane victims.
+ Distributed 28,086 bulk items, such as comfort kits and cleanup kits.
Hurricane Irene was not an isolated event. After leaving North Carolina, Irene continued northward, eventually crossing into Canada after causing the worst flooding in a generation in Vermont. Flooding was also severe in New Jersey, and states all along the eastern seaboard felt Irene's fury. Nationwide, the Red Cross:
+ Served more than 1.2 million meals and snacks.
+ Provided about 56,000 overnight stays in shelters from North Carolina to New England.
+ Mobilized more than 5,600 Red Cross workers who worked with community partners to provide relief to many thousands of hurricane victims.
The Red Cross estimates its total cost for the Hurricane Irene relief operation will be $10 million to $15 million. Because it is not a government agency and does not receive federal funding, the Red Cross has to raise every dollar spent on hurricane relief. Donations may be made to the local chapter or to the national disaster relief fund at P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Donations may be made online at www.redcross.org or by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS. Mobile phone users may make a $10 donation by texting REDCROSS to 90999.
Although Irene garnered most of the national media's attention over the past week, it is not the only disaster the Red Cross is responding to. Tropical Storm Lee has inundated the Gulf Coast with heavy rains, causing severe flooding in several areas. Red Cross volunteers are still helping flood victims in Minot, N.D., where thousands of homes were destroyed by June floods. Also, wildfires in California and Texas have forced evacuations and brought Red Cross response. Altogether, the Red Cross responds to about 70,000 disasters each year, most of them single-family fires, and relies on the generosity of donors to provide relief for these disaster victims.
Natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene also disrupt the blood supply. Irene forced the cancellation of 84 Red Cross blood drives, resulting in a shortfall of nearly 3,000 blood donations. Eligible donors (17 years old and weighing 110 pounds or more, depending on height) are urged to donate blood in order to replenish the supply of life-giving blood. Donors may schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-REDCROSS or by going to www.redcrossblood.org.
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