Red Cross Sunday Participation is Urged for Churches in Pickens County

March 14 is Red Cross Sunday

Karen and Adam Chastain arrived home the night of July 31, 2009 with their two sons to find their home destroyed by a fire. They thought they had lost everything they worked for – even though they were thankful no one was hurt. They were unable to afford insurance. That night they did not know what they were going to do. The Chastain’s discovered that more people cared about them than they ever could have imagined. In addition to the clothing, food, shelter, first months lot rent and other items received from the American Red Cross, the Dacusville Fire Department, family, friends and the community helped them get back on their feet. Karen states that, “we will always be grateful to everyone who made it possible for us to get back to normal in just a few months. God bless you all.”

Fires and other disasters can happen to anyone. By teaming up with the American Red Cross for Red Cross Sunday on March 14th, you can help our neighbors like the Chastains after a house fire, become better prepared in your own home or help the Red Cross be fully stocked to support those in need.

“The goal of Red Cross Sunday is to build awareness and support of the local services of the American Red Cross here in Pickens County,” states Sarah Dow, Director of the American Red Cross of Pickens County. “We are very excited about this campaign and the churches that have signed up to support us in this endeavor.”

Right now the following churches have agreed to participate in Red Cross Sunday: Crosspoint Church, Faith Lutheran Chapel, Easley Presbyterian Church, Gap Hill Baptist Church, Griffin Ebenezer Baptist Church, Keowee Baptist Church, New Hope Baptist Church in Clemson, Oolenoy Baptist Church, Pickens Church of God, Pickens First Baptist Church, Pickens View Wesleyan Church, Ridgeland Drive Baptist Church, St. Andrew United Methodist Church, St. Giles Presbyterian Church and Trinity Point Church.

To join these churches in Red Cross Sunday you simply need to contact the office at 878-0131 or email Sarah at DowS@usa.redcross.org and sign up for one of the following:
· Wear Red to church
· Have a love offering for the Red Cross and the fire clients we help
· Have a collection of new towels and sheets to be shared with fire clients
· Host a free one hour Be Ready presentation to help members be better prepared when facing disasters
· Sign up to be on the list of potential shelter locations during a disaster
· Sign up to prepare and cook hot meals to be distributed in times of disaster
· Place Red Cross Seasonal Preparedness Tips, or other information about Red Cross in your bulletin
· Offer American Red Cross Adult, Infant/Child CPR or First Aid to your congregation during the next 11 months

All participating churches will be featured in the Pickens County Courier, our April update to donors and on the American Red Cross of Upstate South Carolina social network sites.
Help our neighbors, like the Chastain’s, by getting involved today.

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Greenville's Vulnerability to Disaster

Disasters are not limited to catastrophic events like hurricanes and tornadoes. While Greenville is at risk for these large-scale events as well as hazardous materials spills and flooding, residents suffer daily from the devastating effects of single family fires. On average, we respond to 100-130 structure fires annually. In the past ten years, we have seen a 34% increase in the number of disaster incidents and a 41% increase in the number of disaster victims served. The total direct financial assistance provided to clients in 2009 is 74% higher than the direct financial assistance provided to those served in 1999. Many people are lulled into thinking that a large disaster just isn’t likely to strike our hometown. However, Greenville is vulnerable to a wide range of devastating disasters.

According to the SC Hazards Assessment:

We rank first in South Carolina for vulnerability to floods, flash floods, and ice storms.

We have the largest concentration of hazardous materials storage facilities in the state.

We rank second for vulnerability to hazardous materials incidents, particularly due to the transport of hazardous substance on area highways. Donaldson Center Industrial Complex is a primary concern as it is home to many chemical manufacturing and distribution companies and has a public airport.

The demand for disaster relief is expected to steadily increase. This trend is affected by aging structures and increasing population. Economic hardships increase both the need for assistance and the relief provided.

Over the past decade, there has been a 35% increase in incidents and a 185% increase in the dollars committed for disaster relief

Overall Goal:

The overall goal of our disaster program is three-fold: to meet the immediate emergency needs of disaster victims so that they can begin long term recovery; to ensure organizational readiness and to build capacity for response to disasters of varying size and scope through volunteer training, mentoring, and leadership development, drill exercises, and supply acquisition/maintenance; and to minimize loss of life and property through the coordination and training of community organizations active in disaster as well as educational programs designed to teach disaster causation, prevention, and preparedness to children and adults.

Our relief services are available at no charge to individuals throughout the Upstate who have verified disaster-caused needs. We do not know where disaster will strike and our target population is constantly changing. However, a profile of our clients shows that the majority of people we serve have an annual income below $20,000 and are uninsured fire victims. Many of these fires involve single families; however, we are seeing an increasing number of clients who share housing with extended family due to the difficult economic climate. We target both school age children and adult audiences with our preparedness information.

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