Month: March 2017

CaliforniaVolunteers is the state commission for the AmeriCorps program in California.  In 2016, CaliforniaVolunteers partnered with the American Red Cross chapter in Los Angeles to create a new AmeriCorps program that would be a deployable resource for statewide disaster response and recovery efforts. This program, called the California AmeriCorps Disaster Team (CADT), recruited 20 members in its first year.

These members are stationed at different Red Cross Chapters throughout California and perform typical AmeriCorps functions during what is called “Blue Skies,” a common term to describe when no disaster is occurring. These members receive specialized training throughout the year and are deployable by CaliforniaVolunteers in partnership with Red Cross during “Grey Skies,” a common term to describe when a disaster has occurred and response and/or recovery efforts are underway.

The CADT has deployed twice. In September of 2016, 10 members deployed to assist with Haitian Refugee support operations in San Diego. Recently, in February of 2017, 12 members deployed to assist with Oroville Dam evacuation shelter operations.

On Sunday evening, February 12^th, 2017, the American Red Cross was tasked by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to establish shelters to support the evacuation of 200,000 residents that were threatened by the Oroville Dam.  Due to the enormity of the request, the decision to deploy CADT members to support shelter operations was made immediately.

Three CADT members, working with the American Red Cross Gold Country Region were activated on Sunday; two members supported the Red Cross Department Operation Center (DOC) in the planning and operations sections, one of whom was also assigned to the State Operations Center (SOC) for a few days. The third Sacramento CADT member was immediately assigned to the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds shelter in Chico, California to assist with staff scheduling.

Nine additional CADT members, along with one California Safe Corps AmeriCorps member, arrived Tuesday morning. Three CADT members from the American Red Cross of Central California were assigned to support the American Red Cross warehouse located in Sacramento. These members worked alongside other volunteers to sort and pack shelter supplies. These members arrived on Tuesday, February 14^th and stayed until Tuesday, February 28^th.

The remaining six CADT members, comprised of three members from the American Red Cross San Diego/Imperial Counties, one member from the Northern California Coastal Region, one member from the Los Angeles Region, and one additional California Safe Corps member were assigned to the Chico Shelter to support shelter operations. These members performed various duties including registration check-in and admin support for the shelter. These members arrived on Tuesday, February 14^th and stayed until Friday, February 24^th.

CaliforniaVolunteers also worked with the Pacific Region NCCC Campus and Red Cross to deploy four NCCC teams to support shelter operations at the Red Cross shelter in Chico. The first team of 13 NCCC team members arrived at 11:30am on Sunday, February 12^th, just hours after the shelter was opened. Additional NCCC teams arrived to assist throughout the time that the shelter opened. All told, 43 NCCC team members assisted shelter operations in Chico, with the last team leaving when the shelter was closed on Friday, February 24^th. NCCC has additional teams available to assist with other storm response efforts as needed.

Sacramento, CA, March 2, 2017 — The American Red Cross is recognizing the country’s everyday heroes during Red Cross Month.

“March is Red Cross Month, the perfect time to honor our Red Cross volunteers, blood donors and financial contributors who bring hope to people facing life’s emergencies,” said Gary Strong, CEO for the Red Cross Gold Country Region. “During Red Cross Month, we thank them for their tremendous support.”

March has been recognized as Red Cross Month for more than 70 years. All of our presidents have designated March as Red Cross Month to recognize how the American Red Cross helps people across the country and around the world.

The Red Cross depends on local heroes to fulfill its mission. Every eight minutes, Red Cross disaster workers respond to a community disaster, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. It provides 24-hour support to members of the military, veterans and their families at home and around the world It must collect nearly 14,000 donations of blood every day to meet patient needs. It trains millions of people in first aid, water safety and other lifesaving skills. And it supports the vaccination of children around the globe against measles and rubella.

In fiscal year 2016, the Red Cross Gold Country Region assisted 1,396 families affected by local emergencies, provided 3,257 services to military members and their families and trained 39,263 people in lifesaving skills.

“It’s easy to become a Red Cross community hero,” said Robin Friedman, Regional Disaster Program Officer for Gold Country Region. “Be ready for an emergency by creating a preparedness plan for your home. Test your smoke alarms and tell your neighbors to do the same. Or sign up to be a Red Cross volunteer or make a financial donation.”

More information about how people can support the organization is available on
redcross.org. The Red Cross is not a government agency and relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs.

The Red Cross Gold Country Region, based in Sacramento, CA, hosts two chapters, the Northeastern California Chapter and the Sierra-Delta Chapter. We provide services to 24 counties and more than 4.4 million people. In 2017 we are celebrating 100 years of service with a number of celebrations. To find out more visit www.redcross.org/goldcountry.

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 cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.