Tennessee Red Cross Continues to Support Hurricane Evacuees

The American Red Cross continues to work around the clock to do all it can to provide shelter, food, comfort and other emergency support to victims of Hurricane Florence. The threat from Hurricane Florence is far from over as rivers continue to rise in the Carolinas and extremely dangerous flooding is still happening. Getting help into affected areas will be challenging for some time.

Tuesday night, more than 8,100 people sought refuge in 94 Red Cross and community shelters. The Red Cross has served more than 254,200 meals and snacks and distributed more than 3,000 relief items like diapers and comfort kits that contain deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene items for people forced from their homes.

Here in Tennessee, the Red Cross is working with partners and government officials to assess the needs of hurricane evacuees and continues to shelter evacuees in Johnson City, Knoxville and Chattanooga.  More than 43 Red Cross workers from Tennessee are deployed to the Carolinas, with many more expected to follow.

HOW YOU CAN HELP The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Florence by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word FLORENCE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

The Red Cross honors donor intent. Donors can designate their donation to Hurricane Florence relief efforts by choosing that option when donating on redcross.org or on 1-800-RED CROSS. The best way to ensure your donation will go to a specific disaster is to write the specific disaster name in the memo line of a check. We also recommend completing and mailing the donation form on redcross.org with your check.

PLEASE GIVE BLOOD Due to Hurricane Florence, nearly 200 blood drives have been forced to cancel, resulting in over 5,200 uncollected blood and platelet donations.  We expect additional blood drive cancellations over the coming days, with fewer blood and platelet donors available to give at drives in and around affected areas due to flooding and poor weather conditions.

The Red Cross urges people in unaffected areas to make an appointment to give blood or platelets to care for patients in the Southeast and throughout the country. There is a critical need for platelet and type O blood donations.  Appointments can be made by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767

East Tennessee All Volunteer Meetings - September 2018

We are excited to announce that we will resume our All Volunteer meetings starting in October 2018. We will meet monthly at our East Tennessee Chapter, 6921 Middlebrook Pike, on the third Tuesday of each month. We will take this opportunity to share information from each line of service, discuss volunteer opportunities, and enjoy a nice lunch.We will send a reminder via Volunteer Connection so please check email since some of the dates may vary depending on the month and holidays. We will have our first meeting on Tuesday, October 16th.

These meetings will provide a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and meeting other volunteers. You will also have the chance to meet our newest member, Celeste Greene, Volunteer Recruitment Specialist for the Tennessee Region.  Celeste served as an intern at our office and has now joined our staff to recruit volunteers for the east side of the state.  She is based out of the East Tennessee Chapter serving Knoxville, Kingsport and Chattanooga. We are very excited to have Celeste and the energy she brings to the Tennessee Region.

Please be sure to mark your calendar, Tuesday, October 16th, 12 Noon. The meeting will last about an hour. Look forward to seeing you there!

Mid-West Tennessee Volunteer Spotlight: Gigi Surratt - September 2018

The Mid-West Tennessee Chapter Volunteer of the Month is Gigi Surratt. Gigi is a huge asset to our Chapter and we are so fortunate that she walked through our door.

Gigi lives in Selmer, TN. and works at UGN in Jackson, TN. She is the daughter of the late Kenneth Surratt and Deborah Surratt-Taylor. She has three lovely girls- Kennessa, MaCaria, and Charity. She first showed an interest in the Red Cross when her father became deathly ill. In fact, her first conversation with Heather Carbajal (our chapter’s Disaster Program Manager) to talk about different service roles with the chapter took place on the day before her father passed away.  Gigi has shared how much she appreciated Heather’s support during such a difficult time of her life.

Gigi’s enthusiasm and charm made her a big hit with her fellow volunteers as she made an immediate impact on our chapter. This is especially true when she is serving in our Home Fire Campaigns and the “Sound the Alarm” program. She loves the teamwork and camaraderie and it shows in the passion she brings to helping families with fire prevention! She told our staff she would like to offer free smoke alarms to her co- workers at UGN. Heather gave her the go ahead and, a few days later, she returned to the office with 2 and half sheets full of referral names! Gigi is still in the process of going to her co-workers homes in her efforts to install alarms in the homes of all the names on her roster.

Gigi shares that her most memorable moment serving in the Red Cross with the Mid-West TN chapter (to this point) was the day her work was admired by an electrician as she was installing smoke alarms in her McNairy County community of Selmer. She explains, “He stopped what he was doing at my father’s house and said- I’ve never seen a person go into the community like you and work for free. You are a good woman!”

As many of you know, our staff likes to ask our Volunteer of the Month recipients what their favorite book or movie is and why. Gigi shared that her favorite movie is “Waiting to Exhale” starring Angela Bassett, Loretta Divine and the late, great Whitney Houston. Gigi says, “I favor it, because it shows how a woman goes through many obstacles and can still overcome them.” That definitely describes Gigi!

East Tennessee Volunteer Spotlight: Mustapha Souilem - September 2018

A new Red Cross volunteer, Mustapha Souilem, lives in south Knoxville.  In his job as an environment and quality manager in the oil and gas industry, he is closely involved with safety and installation of pipelines. He has lived and worked abroad and in the US monitoring safety of equipment and personnel in plants and off shore platforms. Mustapha has volunteered with Sound the Alarm and the Disaster Action Team.  The American Red Cross of East Tennessee welcomes his enthusiasm for helping evacuees at times of fires and disasters. Read on to learn more about Mustapha outside his Red Cross volunteerism.

If you could try another profession, what would it be?  Survival skill instructor

Other than East TN, where would you like to live and why?  Somewhere warm, for example, Florida or Texas.  Prefer warmth over being cold.

What natural gift or talent do you wish you had? A runner—I’d love to win a race.

Who is your favorite musician?   Madonna

What books are you reading?  What is on your bedside table? Engineering books. I like learning about technology and societal updates.

What do you like about volunteering at the Red Cross of East TN?  The mission to help others.   I get to be part of protecting the population by preventing different incidents and helping people understand how to prevent fires and maintain safety.

Nashville Area Volunteer Spotlight: Marvin Koch - September 2018

Meet Marvin, our volunteer spotlight! Marvin is a Red Cross Volunteer who loves what he does because he gets to do so much good. He is a native Nashvillian who was a blood donor for years before volunteering. One day while donating blood he saw a volunteer recruitment poster and had to know more. So he went upstairs, retrieved more information, and has never looked back! Since joining Marvin served as a nurse and public affairs officer. Having been on several deployments as a nurse, he has a few stories to share. Perhaps his most noted deployment was Hurricane Sandy where he was the nurse in charge of a shelter full of Red Cross truck drivers who delivered vital supplies and meals to survivors. He really enjoyed being the “family doctor” to 67 people in the shelter. Now he is more involved on the public affairs side of things and retired from his public relations job. We’re grateful to Marvin for joining the Red Cross and serving our local community and our nation. Get to know Marvin a bit better by checking out a Q&A he sat down and did with us:

What keeps you staying with the Red Cross?

“I believe in the mission and the Red Cross. I think it’s made up of good people and it does a very valuable job for our country.”

What do you like the most about serving the community with the Red Cross?

“A chance to do something really good for people. To make a difference. When you get older you want to leave a positive legacy.”

What advice or recommendation(s) would you give to a new volunteer?

            “Pick a job you like to do and do it. If you’re a truck driver, drive a truck.”

Bonus Questions!

Are you a coffee or tea person?

"I am a tea person. My wife is British, so I learned to drink British tea.”

Which music do you like?

“I like old time rock & roll. I am also a drummer and work with a guy who is a song writer.”

Red Cross Prepares for Massive Relief Response As Hurricane Florence Nears U.S. Coast

Tennessee Red Cross Opens 3 Shelters for Evacuees

September 13, 2018

The American Red Cross is preparing for a large relief effort across multiple states as Hurricane Florence continues its march toward the East Coast. This is a dangerous storm and the Red Cross urges people in its path to obey evacuation orders and get ready now.

Here in Tennessee, the Red Cross is working with partners and government officials to assess the needs of hurricane evacuees as well as TN residents who may be impacted by flooding. On Thursday morning, the Tennessee Red Cross opened the following shelters for evacuees:

Johnson City: Crossroads Christian Church, 1300 Suncrest Drive, Gray, TN 37615

Knoxville: Central Baptist of Bearden, 6300 Deane Hill Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919

Chattanooga: Brainerd Recreation Center, 7745 E. Brainerd Road, Chattanooga TN 37421

Updated information on shelter locations can be found at redcross.org/shelters.

As the storm passes, the Red Cross is preparing to provide shelter for tens of thousands of people until they can return home or find other places to stay.

HOW YOU CAN HELP The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Florence by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word FLORENCE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

The Red Cross honors donor intent. Donors can designate their donation to Hurricane Florence relief efforts by choosing that option when donating on redcross.org or on 1-800-RED CROSS. The best way to ensure your donation will go to a specific disaster is to write the specific disaster name in the memo line of a check. We also recommend completing and mailing the donation form on redcross.org with your check.

PLEASE GIVE BLOOD The Red Cross has pre-positioned additional blood products and stocked many of our hospitals to capacity in areas of the Southeast likely to be impacted by the storm over the upcoming days. We are prepared to send more blood products to ensure patient needs continue to be met. Ahead of the storm, Red Cross Blood Services employees are also preparing facilities and equipment in case of power outages by ensuring back-up generators are working properly and vehicles are fueled.

We encourage eligible donors in parts of the country unaffected by the storm to give blood or platelets to help ensure a sufficient blood supply. Some Red Cross blood drives have already been cancelled and additional cancellations are expected in the Southeast in the days ahead. Platelet and type O blood donations are especially needed right now. Appointments can be made by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Heavy Rain Could Lead to Flash Flooding – How to Stay Safe

FLOOD SAFETY

• Know the difference. A flood/flash flood watch means a flood/flash flood is possible in your area. A flood/flash flood warning means flooding/flash flooding is already occurring or will occur soon in your area. Move immediately to higher ground or stay on high ground. Follow any evacuation orders.
• Listen to local radio, NOAA radio or TV stations for the latest information and updates. People should keep informed about weather conditions and listen to the advice of local officials.
• Check your emergency kit and replenish any items missing or in short supply. Keep it nearby.
• Turn around, don’t drown. If driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
• Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way.
• Keep children and pets out of the water.
• Be especially cautious at night when it’s harder to see flood danger. 

RETURNING HOME

• After a flood, do not attempt to return to affected areas until officials say it is safe to do so.
• Once you are able to go home, look for loose power lines, damaged gas lines, cracks in the foundation or other damage before you enter your home.
• During cleanup, wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots.
• Watch out for wild animals, especially poisonous snakes that may have come into your home with the floodwater.
• If you smell natural or propane gas or hear a hissing noise, leave immediately and call the fire department.
• If power lines are down outside your home, do not step in puddles or standing water.
• Materials such as cleaning products, paint, batteries, contaminated fuel and damaged fuel containers are hazardous. Check with local authorities for assistance with disposal to avoid risk.
• Make sure your food and water are safe. Discard items that have come in contact with floodwater, including canned goods, water bottles, plastic utensils and baby bottle nipples. When in doubt, throw it out. 

THREE EASY STEPS

There are 3 easy steps people can take to be “Red Cross Ready” for an emergency:

1.     Build an emergency kit with a gallon of water per person, per day, non-perishable food, a flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, medications, supplies for an infant if applicable, a multi-purpose tool, personal hygiene items, copies of important papers, cell phone chargers, extra cash, blankets, maps of the area and emergency contact information. Many of these items are available through the Red Cross Store at redcrossstore.org.

2.     Talk with household members and create an evacuation plan. Practicing the plan minimizes confusion and fear during the event.

3.     Be informed. Learn about the community’s emergency response plan. Plan routes to local shelters, register family members with special medical needs as required and make plans for pets.

If someone already has a disaster kit, now is the time make sure the food and water is still okay to consume and that copies of important documents are up to date. If they already have an emergency plan for their household, they should talk about it again with family members so everyone knows what to do if an emergency occurs.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Please click, text or call to donate to American Red Cross Disaster Relief to help people affected by disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Every single donation brings hope to those in need. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.