Disaster Services

When Disaster Strikes

The American Red Cross Will Help You In Many Ways

1. By Providing Immediate Relief--Immediately following a disaster, the Red Cross works with emergency service agencies and others and provides emergency shelters, meals, and first aid.

2. By Providing the Means to Pay for Basic Neccesities--The Red Cross will work with you and your family to identify your disaster-caused needs, help you develop an immediate plan, and provide you and your family with the means to pay for basic neccesities to return to a more normal living situation as soon as possible.

This may include the following:

Rent or temporary repairs to your home to enable you to move back in.
Needen household items.
Groceries and new clothes.
Medical, nursing, and hospital expenses related to the disaster.
Job supplies needed to allow you to return to work

3. By Referring You to Other Sources of Help--The Red Cross works with you to find the help you need. We will refer you to government and other agencies that can help in your recovery. If these resources are not available or if you need more assistance, the Red Cross will continue to work with you and your family to meet your disaster-caused needs.

Remember.....The Red Cross works with you and your family as a team in aiding your recovery. If you need help, contact the Tulare-Kings Chapter at 559-732-6436, during regular business hours OR call 1-888-737-4306 for after-hours disaster emergencies. If possible, please bring identification that shows where your lived at the time of the disaster. This will help us help you.

All Red Cross Help Is Free....It's A Gift From The American People

Be a Disaster Volunteer... It's the hardest job you'll ever love!

The mission of the American Red Cross is to help people of our community prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. In order to do this, we need your help! In times of disaster, we provide free emergency disaster assistance to affected individuals and families. Red Cross volunteers are trained, free of charge, to provide immediate food, shelter, emergency first aid, counseling and other free disaster services as needed. You can support your community by becoming a trained Disaster Sevices Volunteer.

Some of the ways you can serve as a Disaster Volunteer include:

Mass Care: Provides shelter, fixed and mobile feeding, distribution of supplies and commodities to people affected by a disaster. Examples: shelter manager and feeding route coordinator.

Family Services: Delivers emergency assistance to affected individuals and families, while referring clients to other agencies to provide additional assistance when necessary. Example: case worker supervisor

Disaster Health Services: Responsible for emergency and preventative health services to people affected by a disaster. Example: shelter nurse

Disaster Mental Health Services: Provides mental health support to those affected by a disaster, whether they experienced the disaster, reside in the area, are working as a Red Cross volunteer, are relatives of those affected or have disaster related emotional difficulties created by maass media. Example: disaster mental health officer

Spiritual Care Team Member: Provides non-denominational spiritual counseling and support to those affected by a disaster, whether they experienced the disaster, reside in the area, are working as a Red Cross volunteer, are relatives of those affected or have disaster related emotional difficulties created by mass media. Example: Chaplain

Family Well-being Inquiry: Responsible foe receiving and responding to inquiries about the health and welfare of individuals and families within an affected area.

Community Services, Administration, Service Support and Fundraising: Working with the community, staff and other volunteers to service a disaster relief operation as a whole. Examples: damage assessment, government liasion, public affairs, staffing and logistics and fund raising coordinator.

For Further Information, Please Contact

Minnie Chapin – Coordinator of Volunteers

(559) 732-6436 or Fax: (559) 732-0741