In Case You Missed It - July 27

Smiling baby at Peekskill Shelter. (Photo: Caroline Sherwin)

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 149 adults and 47 children following 49 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review 

Great day! #RedCross teams in #Warwick & #Queens install 100s of smoke alarms! #SmokeAlarmsSaveLives @JoshWLockwood pic.twitter.com/EUbdDw2iLE

— NY Red Cross (@redcrossny) July 25, 2015

• Following several major fires in the region over the last week, Red Cross teams continued their tremendous push to install free smoke alarms across Greater NY. On Saturday at three sites (Queens East, Queens West and Warwick, N.Y.), more than 600 smoke alarms were installed, with many more to be installed this coming week as a result of appointments scheduled last Saturday.
• Happy birthday to our CEO Josh Lockwood who celebrated his big day installing smoke alarms out in Queens.
• For most of the week, the Metro New York North Red Cross operated a shelter for the 100+ residents left homeless by a massive fire in Peekskill, N.Y.
• There were also large fire responses in Staten Island and Mt. Vernon, N.Y. Our CEO Josh Lockwood praised the tremendous staff and volunteer efforts for their work responding to all three fires.
• In addition to helping residents prepare for and cope with home fires, we also helped New Yorkers get ready for a possible Sharknado. On Wednesday, prior to the premier of the third installment of this Sci-Fi saga, Red Cross volunteer intern Katie Lovett took a moment to ask New Yorkers “How would you prepare for Sharknado 3?” Here are some tips!
• Lastly, during last week’s scorching temperatures, the Red Cross posted a fun safety video on heat exhaustion featuring actress and CPR/First Aid trainer extraordinaire Lipica Shah. 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• July 27, 30: Red Cross blood drives; 1 to 7pm; 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today.
• In the coming weeks, Red Cross will continue to canvass neighborhoods to teach fire safety and install free smoke alarms as part of our Home Fire Preparedness Campaign. If you are interested in a full-time leadership position to help prevent home fires in New York City, check out the following job listings: Regional Individual and Community Preparedness Manager, Operations Manager, Manager, Information & Planning, Lead Specialists for Brooklyn Operations and Bronx Operations.