Upstate Red Cross Responds to Train Derailment and Two House Fires in 12 Hours

Twenty Trained volunteers and staff with the American Red Cross of Upstate South Carolina responded to a train derailment around 5:00 PM Thursday evening, June 10 near Liberty, South Carolina. Red Cross provided food, snacks and meals for response workers and evacuees from the surrounding area. A shelter was set up at Eastside Baptist Church in Liberty, South Carolina to shelter evacuees overnight.

The shelter was closed Friday morning, but reopened later that evening. The shelter finally closed Saturday as all evacuees have been allowed to go back to their homes. The American Red Cross will provide snacks, meals and beverages to emergency workers while the relief and clean-up efforts continue, probably through Wednesday.

A resident nearby the accident stated online that she knew it could happen, but did not think it would happen to her and her family. This incident reminds us all that we need to be prepared at home, at work and at school for disasters - they do strike at home. No one ever thinks it will happen to them.

What can you do to be better prepared at home, work, church or school? Sign up your group or family to take a FREE 1 hour Be Ready class that helps to prepare you and your family for disasters that are likely to happen here.

In addition to responding to the train derailment, there 2 house fires last Thursday night in Pickens County. The Red Cross provided over $1500 in emergency assistance to those families. As we continue to work with the fire clients over the coming days to determine their ongoing needs, that amount will increase.

Without the community's generous support, we would not be able to train our volunteers and staff to rise to the occasion during times of disaster. We are supported 100% by the communities we serve. Please consider a gift to help the families that lost their home to a fire or help us train our volunteers today.