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Disaster 8
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2516 Colonial Blvd, Suite 201, Fort Myers, FL 33907   Tel:941.278.3401 Fax:941.278.4829

Disaster Services 

Background 

The American Red Cross works year round to respond to more than 61,000 hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, and other incidents each year. 

Trained Red Cross paid and volunteer staff are ready to respond when a disaster threatens or strikes. These Red Cross workers come from all walks of life, many from your own community. 

Red Cross chapters work in their communities to help the public prevent, prepare for, and cope with disasters. The Red Cross provides free information on disasters to help people plan for specific types of disaster, reduce their traumatic impact, prevent injuries, save lives, and reduce the loss of property. 

Mass
Care 

Emergency
Assistance 

Long Term
Recovery 

Immediately following a disaster, the Red Cross provides emergency shelter, food, medicine and first aid to provide for basic human needs. Following major disasters, Red Cross workers distribute food and home cleanup items throughout the affected areas. This assistance meets immediate emergency needs. The Red Cross enables victims of disasters to resume living independently by providing the means for them to pay for what they need most - groceries, new clothing, temporary housing, emergency home repairs, transportation, basic household items, medicines, and tools.  The Red Cross also helps when all other resources, such as insurance benefits and government assistance, are not available or are inadequate to meet disaster related needs. All Red Cross aid is provided on an individual basis, based on verified disaster caused needs, and, at no cost. 

 Why Financial Donations ?

The Red Cross uses donated funds to provide families affected by disasters with a wide variety of direct services including shelter, clothing, food, and crisis counseling. Financial donations are also used to provide vouchers that will allow the victims to purchase their immediate emergency needs from the vendors of their choice. This service allows families to be assured that the clothes, bedding and other basic furnishings they receive are clean, are the style they will find comfortable, are appropriate for the season and are the right fit. It also enables families to regain some control over their lives after having had that control stolen from them by the disaster's effects. Another benefit to the ravaged communities is that the funds the vouchers represent are spent in the local, affected community, helping local vendors begin their recovery as well. 

Why Not Miscellaneous In-Kind Donations ?
One unfortunate consequence of large numbers of donors sending their unsolicited, individual, in-kind donations to large disasters is the accumulation of tons of unwanted, unused, wasted materials.

In past years the donations of used clothes, furniture, appliances, and other things from thousands of well meaning families across the country have actually caused the victims problems, rather than helped. The Red Cross neither

encourages nor accepts donations of used clothes, used furniture or other individual in-kind donations from well meaning donors. The Red Cross refers donors of miscellaneous items to other agencies set up specifically to sort and distribute such donations. The Red Cross has more than 1,100 disaster relief workers on the scene of the present flooding providing vital shelter, food and service to those affected.  There are some agencies that are organized specifically to assign workers to sort, clean, organize, and distribute random in-kind donations of used clothes and other materials.

The Red Cross suggests that donors contact such organizations in their local areas to determine if they are accepting donations of in-kind materials at this time. 

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Additional Services 

Red Cross disaster relief work also includes the following: 

  • Feeding emergency workers. 
  • Referring those affected by disaster to other available resources. 
  • Handling inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area. 
  • Providing blood and blood products to disaster victims. 
  • Disaster related mental health services and specialized counseling. 

All Red Cross disaster assistance is provided free of charge.
 
 
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Contact The Chapter
chapter@arclcc.org

American Red Cross  Lee County Chapter
2516 Colonial Blvd, Suite 201,
Fort Myers, Florida 33907

PHONE: 941-278-3401    FAX: 941-278-4829  
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