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Red Cross offers relief when disaster strikes
A house fire that destroyed a family's home on June 8 gave the local Red Cross an opportunity to do what they do best -- help area residents overcome when disaster strikes.
"We are there in a disaster, whether it be of a storm nature, or whether it be a home fire or flood," Whendi Martin, Executive Director of the Bourbon County Chapter of the Red Cross said. "We are there to provide for your immediate relief after disaster strikes. We respond when we're called upon to whatever disaster is happening and provide help."
When Kala Scott's house, 116 Arthur, caught fire on June 8, Martin said she was at the house within ten minutes of being notified of the disaster. Once on scene, Martin began walking through the fire scene and conducting a damage assessment.
Every member of the Red Cross' disaster team has disaster assessment training, Martin explained. This training helps the disaster team members determine which items are salvageable and which ones are completely destroyed. The team members use their training to help educate disaster victims such as Scott.
"We help educate the victim about what things are salvageable," Martin said.
According to Martin, just as she did with Scott when her house caught fire, the Red Cross helps provide funds that help disaster victims pay for a place to stay, and gives them enough money to meet their immediate needs. Disaster victims are also often given blankets and comfort kits, which are filled with personal hygiene supplies and, for the children, coloring books and a stuffed toy. In addition, Martin said the Red Cross does the very best job it can to help secure any other necessary resources.
"Part of the initial interview is to provide immediate relief," Martin said. "We can't provide all of it, but we can get them a healthy start to some normal existence after they have lost everything."
According to Martin, the local Red Cross provides help to about 14 families who suffer from various disasters during a year. The funding the Red Cross uses to help residents during disasters comes from local community members, businesses, organizations, clubs, churches, the United Way and the Red Cross Board of Directors.
According to the American Red Cross Web site, www.redcross.org, the organization's 700,000 volunteers and 34,000 employees have helped victims in about 70,000 disasters across the country and have helped millions of people learn how to correctly respond to disasters.
"Through nearly 720 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world," the Web site said. "Some four million people give blood -- the gift of life -- through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States."