Thanks to volunteers as Hurricane Season ends

Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of disaster services for the American Red Cross, has sent an email to Red Cross volunteers and staff thanking them for their work during Hurricane Season and throughout the year.

Here is a portion of that email:

As we reach the end of another Atlantic hurricane season, I want to say thank you to all the disaster services volunteer staff and paid staff that stood tall during the storms.  We have not experienced a hurricane that swept across the eastern seaboard since Hurricane Isabel in 2003.  While Irene proved to be less than predicted, it caused millions of people in over fifteen states to think about disaster preparedness, to access Red Cross shelter information, and to seek assistance with disaster-caused needs through you and your colleagues in Red Cross vests.

Throughout the hurricane season, and during the spring storms of 2011, you were there for our constituents.  24,000 disaster volunteers accepted Level 2+ disaster assignments so far this year, and thousands of you also volunteered on countless single family disaster emergencies in regions across the country. ...

While our Atlantic Hurricane season comes to an end, our readiness does not.  Disaster preparedness and response are a constant occupation.  Unlike the hurricane seasons, sudden onset disasters, flash floods, tornadoes and man-made catastrophes come with little or no warning.  We must be constantly ready, fully prepared and available to respond anywhere and at any time.  The American public expects nothing less, and we are privileged to have their confidence and support during times of disaster.