Representative Yvette Clarke Meets with the Red Cross

On Oct. 15th, Alex Lutz, Greater New York Red Cross senior regional director of community relations, met with Rep. Yvette Clarke of Brooklyn’s 9th congressional district, to update her on the chapter’s continuing Superstorm Sandy recovery activities in her district.

Rep. Clarke’s district was one of the hardest hit by the storm, especially in communities such as Gerritsen Beach and Sheepshead Bay. Rep. Clarke expressed her gratitude and support for the Red Cross and its personnel who continue to assist those in need almost two years after Sandy made landfall in New York City.

In Case You Missed It — September 22, 2014

 

Ready Red Hook Day in Brooklyn

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
In the last week the Red Cross provided emergency relief in the form of shelter, food, clothing, health services and/or emotional support to 143 New Yorkers impacted by 41 disasters across our region. Here are some highlights.

• “A good deed for desperately needy families is a great mitzvah [act of kindness],” said community leader Isaac Sofer, in thanking the Red Cross after it helped four families displaced by a 2-alarm fire in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Sept. 16.
• The Hauppauge Industrial Association-LI (HIA-LI) honored the American Red Cross on Long Island at the HIA-LI 20th Annual Business Achievement Awards Gala, held at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Sept.16.
• Also on Sept. 16, Brooklyn Disaster Program Manager Edmund A. Torraca and Disaster Action Team Captain Garfield Richards supported an Emergency Preparedness Forum at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
• On Sept. 13, Red Crossers Nancy Soto Les Levinowitz supported “Ready Red Hook Day" organized by the Red Hook Coalition by distributing disaster preparedness materials.    
• In partnership with South Florida Red Cross, we created a video with children’s suggestions for how to prepare for a disaster. Check out their hilarious responses (see below) and subscribe to our Youtube Channel. 
• Last week, the National Youth Council announced that November is National Youth Involvement Month (#NYIM). Young leaders and volunteers are encouraged to visit the Red Cross National Youth Website and complete a checklist of activities for the month, as well as create their own.
• On week three of National Preparedness Month, we published tips on how to prepare for, respond to and recover from floods.
• Because it's National Preparedness Month, we encourage everyone to download our free Red Cross Mobile Apps for natural disasters, including Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Wildfires, Floods and Tornadoes, as well as our apps for First Aid, Pet First Aid, Swimming and Volunteering.
• A Boston Marathon hero encourages everyone to download the Red Cross Blood App. Read his story.
• Enterovirus D68 has affected 150 people in 18 states according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Sept.19, we provided some useful tips on how to prevent the spread of this virus, which can cause respiratory illness.
• For #FunnyFriday, we explained how NOT to create a disaster kit on The Good, The Bad, and The Ridiculous.

Brooklyn, Are You Prepared?

 

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, Brooklyn Disaster Program Manager (DPM) Edmund A. Torraca and Disaster Action Team (DAT) Captain Garfield Richards supported an Emergency Preparedness Forum at Brooklyn Borough Hall. The forum, “Brooklyn, Are You Prepared?”, was an event associated with the New York City Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) campaign to encourage New Yorkers to be ready for all types of emergencies.

"The Red Cross is actively engaging community- and faith-based organizations across Brooklyn to facilitate the development of disaster plans, to bridge gaps in disaster response activities, and to organize efforts to prepare communities to face the challenges of the next disaster,” Torraca said. 

The forum was hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and featured special guest speaker OEM Commissioner Joseph Esposito. Invited guests from FEMA, NYPD, FDNY and National Grid joined the Red Cross to encourage members of the community to develop a disaster plan, gather emergency supplies, and finally, to learn how to keep informed about the hazards faced in New York City.

“Brooklyn, Are You Prepared?” afforded the Greater NY Red Cross an opportunity to engage local community leaders, collaborate with preparedness partners, and present disaster response initiatives and long-term objectives.     

Red Cross Helps Williamsburg Families

U/D Brooklyn: *2 Alarm Fire* Box 0367 at 583 flushing Ave fire in a 4 story multiple dwelling is now under control. pic.twitter.com/qDbVt7pRHw
— NY Scanner (@NYScanner) September 16, 2014

A little more than a week before the observance of the Jewish High Holy Days, a 2-alarm fire displaced four families (10 adults 35 children) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. On Sept. 16, the Red Cross provided emergency funds for basic necessities to two affected families and worked with a partner agency to arrange temporary housing at a Kosher hotel for them.

“A good deed for desperately needy families is a great mitzvah [act of kindness],” said Jewish community leader Isaac Sofer, in thanking the Red Cross.

The Red Cross stands ready to work with these families as needed to help with their longer-term needs.

Ready Red Hook Day

Brooklyn Disaster Action Team (DAT) Captain, Nancy Soto; Brooklyn DAT member Les Levinowitz; members of the Red Hook Coalition

 On Saturday, September 13, Brooklyn Disaster Action Team (DAT) Captain Nancy Soto and DAT member Les Levinowitz supported “Ready Red Hook Day” by meeting with residents of the Red Hook community to discuss emergency preparedness and distribute home and family disaster preparedness materials.    

In the first hours and days after Hurricane Sandy, the community of Red Hook organically came together and managed the initial response. Out of that response came the Community Disaster Readiness Plan, which was developed by the community of Red Hook for the community of Red Hook. The plan provides residents with a single guide for the critical 72 hours prior to and after a disaster, before formal government assistance is in place. “Ready Red Hook Day” was an opportunity for community members to practice their own emergency plan. 

Organized by the Red Hook Coalition, “Ready Red Hook Day” afforded the Red Cross Brooklyn DAT an opportunity engage the local community, collaborate with partners and integrate disaster response plans.     

Greater NY Representatives Meet with Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna

L to R: Greater NY Red Cross Senior Regional Director, Community Relations, Alex Lutz; Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna; Greater NY Red Cross Brooklyn Disaster Program Manager, Ed Torraca.

On Thursday, September 11, representatives of the Greater New York region visited Brooklyn Borough Hall and met with Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna to report on Red Cross services to Brooklyn.

This was the first meeting with new Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams’ administration since his election last year. The deputy borough president was briefed on daily disaster responses in Brooklyn, particularly house fires, readiness actions the Red Cross is taking in advance of future large-scale disasters, and ongoing recovery services to residents impacted by Superstorm Sandy.

Newly appointed Red Cross Brooklyn Disaster Program Manager Ed Torraca discussed his role in coordinating response operations for the borough and his plans to engage community groups and leaders to increase the borough’s readiness and response capacity.

Volunteering Inspires Some to Become Employees

After Superstorm Sandy, the American Red Cross relied on its dedicated staff members and volunteers to provide aid to those affected by the storm. More than 10,000 volunteers from across the country poured into the Greater New York region to help the thousands of people in need.

For some of those volunteers, assisting with the long-term recovery efforts of the Red Cross became a mission they wanted to commit to full time. Patty Jones, Tymera Jackson and Kevin Rivero are three of those individuals.

Patty Jones has been volunteering with the Red Cross since she was fifteen. She began as a Candy Striper in Methodist Hospital of Brooklyn. Post-Sandy, Jones, who lives in Brooklyn, once again signed on to volunteer for the Red Cross.

In February 2013, she joined the Sandy Long-Term Recovery Document Management department. For the next four months, she volunteered Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., researching internal and external databases to learn about residents who had reached out for assistance. Later, she transferred to the Intake Department to conduct initial interviews of Sandy-affected residents. Eventually, Jones was hired as a Greater New York case manager for the Sandy Long Term Recovery.

Jones, who also regularly volunteers on a Disaster Action Team for the Greater New York Red Cross in New York City, says her experience working with Red Cross staff and volunteers has been nothing short of inspiring.

“I’ve met a lot of wonderful volunteers from different states,” she said. “As a New Yorker, I’ll always be grateful that they left their families behind, in some cases for months, just to help us out.”

Tymera Jackson of Westchester County began volunteering with the Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina, back in 2005. At the former White Plains office, she started off doing administrative tasks in the Emergency Services department. In addition to her administrative role, Tymera helped screen potential volunteers, and joined a Disaster Action Team that responds to local emergencies, helping those affected. For three years, she gave 30 hours of her time a week as a volunteer at White Plains.

Inspired by the mission of the Red Cross, after Hurricane Sandy hit, Jackson applied to become a Sandy long term recovery case manager in the Greater New York Manhattan office. She was hired in March 2013. In this role, she visits Sandy-affected residents from Connecticut and New York City, assessing damage to their homes and helping them to access resources from Red Cross and/or other agencies.

“People have said things like, ‘You’re an angel, God must have sent you,’ she said. “They just want to know that someone cares and that someone is there to listen to their issues.”

When Superstorm Sandy hit, Kevin Rivero, from Washington, D.C., was fresh out of college. To help pay for his education, he worked for both a restaurant and an event planning company. In January 2013, after learning the Red Cross needed post-Sandy recovery volunteers, Kevin applied, was accepted, and moved to New York City. He volunteered for nearly five months providing assistance for people affected by Sandy. In June 2013, Kevin became a full-time staff member on the Long-Term Recovery team. 

Kevin said his volunteer work prepared him for his current job. Both as a volunteer and in his current job, he helps Sandy-affected residents receive financial or emotional support from Red Cross programs and through partner organizations. Kevin, who works with residents across Long Island, speaks with residents by phone and visits their homes to assess their needs.

“My job is about being a partner to those I help and steer them through the recovery process,” Kevin said. “It’s rewarding to see them making progress.”

Kevin is also in the process of becoming a volunteer disaster responder.  “What the responders do is really cool,” Kevin said. “I would like to be part of that.”

Red Cross Helps Coney Islanders Prepare for Next Disaster

The American Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters across the U.S. each year, including about 2,300 in the Greater New York Region alone, and wants people to be prepared for an emergency.

On Jan. 8, Darius Alemzadeh, Red Cross community recovery specialist, helped some Brooklyn residents prepare for disaster with a Be Red Cross Ready presentation at the Brooklyn Public Library in Coney Island. Be Red Cross Ready is a 30–45 minute free presentation that allows participants to learn about steps they can take toward preparedness, including making a plan and building an emergency kit.

If your community organization is interested in Be Red Cross Ready, please email suzan.rosen@redcross.org.

For Red Cross Volunteer, Typhoon Haiyan Hits Close to Home

Story and photo by Anita Salzberg

Since Typhoon Haiyan swept through the Philippines this past weekend, Ronnie Rigos knew he wanted to throw himself into the American Red Cross Haiyan relief effort. Rigos, a 25-year New York resident now living in Brooklyn, and a five-year Greater New York volunteer, hails from Quezon Province, about 45 miles north of Manila, the Philippine capital city.

“I literally jumped at the opportunity to be part of this response,” Rigos said. “It means so much to me personally.”

He, along with fellow volunteers and employees, has been eagerly taking calls from people searching for loved ones in the area devastated by Haiyan. From filling out tracing inquiries on missing relatives, to providing information on ways to support the Red Cross International Response Relief Fund, to offering emotional support and “being there” for people in this difficult time, Rigos is doing it all, including taking on a leadership role in the Greater New York response.

“I've reached out to local Filipino-American community leaders, established point-of-contacts and helped coordinate the services our local Red Cross is offering,” he said.

Rigos’ mother, sisters, brothers and other relatives remain in Quezon Province. Though they are safe, he has yet to hear from distant relatives and close family friends who may have been in the region hit by the typhoon.

He says he regards the American Red Cross, and especially the Red Crossers in the Greater New York region, as an extended family, and wants to thank everyone in the region, “For their enormous care, warmest of thoughts, awesome support, thoughtful kindness, and for being there, always.”

Greater NY Red Cross Honors Sandy Anniversary through Service: Oct. 26, 2013

In advance of next week’s one-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, the Red Cross Greater New York Region is honoring the anniversary through service. Red Cross volunteers are helping to rebuild and muck out homes and community centers, clean up parks, and teach emergency preparedness classes to hundreds of Greater New York residents.

Here’s a roundup of Red Cross Sandy anniversary activities for Sat., Oct. 26:

Teaching Chinatown Residents Emergency Preparedness

Photo: Brett Whysel

This morning, the American Red Cross teamed up with the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) and University Settlement to train more than 350 Chinatown residents in emergency preparedness at the New York Chinese Community Center, 62 Mott Street.

Yim Chan, English secretary for CCBA, said many in the Chinese community are particularly vulnerable during a disaster because of their age and language barriers.

“This community was hit hard during Superstorm Sandy,” Chan said. “We have a lot of senior citizens who live here. During the storm, many of them didn’t know what to do – a lot of them were stranded in high rises with no water, electricity or communication. It’s especially important for them to have an emergency kit.”

“Preparing New Yorkers for disaster – whether a fire or a cataclysmic event like Sandy – has never been more urgent or more relevant,” said Kathryn Soman, co-chair of the Centennial Circle, a group of women leaders whose goal is to make preparedness a part of every New Yorker’s life, and an event partner. “As we mark the first-year anniversary of that devastating storm, the Centennial Circle is proud to support the efforts of the Greater New York Red Cross and delighted to partner with the CCBA at this Community Preparedness Day.”

Soman presented the preparedness information in English; Eva Wong, from University Settlement, translated the presentation into Cantonese. The Red Cross thanks its partners: the CCBA, the Visiting Nurse Service of NY, Chinatown Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community; University Settlement; and Council member Margaret Chin.



L-R: Denise Bloise, American Red Cross Greater NY Region; Eva Wong, University Settlement; Kathryn Soman, Red Cross volunteer; Zhongmin Yu, preparedness event participant; Paul Ng, CCBA president; and Stephanie Gootman, Red Cross volunteer. Photo: Brett Whysel. 

Rebuilding on Coney Island
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Red Cross partnered with Rebuilding Together NYC in its home rebuilding and revitalization activities as part of a 24-hour rebuild.

Greater New York Red Cross volunteers, including regional CEO Josh Lockwood, worked side-by-side with Jack Brand, Deutschebank Bank North America CEO; Chelsea Muller from the governor's office of NY Storm Recovery; Councilman Dominic Reccia; Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasney; Felipe Lopez of NBA Cares, members of Team Rubicon and Shaumet Builds; and other partner organizations. Scores of volunteers came out in the cold to lend a helping hand.

L to R: Chelsea Muller, NYC regional lead, NY Office of Storm Recovery; Kimberly George, executive director, Rebuilding Together NYC; Jacques Brand, CEO of North America Deutsche Bank; Rocco Brescia, homeowner; Josh Lockwood, regional CEO, American Red Cross Greater NY 

Alec Brook-Krasney, assemblyman for Coney Island, Donna M. Morrissey, director of communication, American Red Cross, Northeast Division, Felipe Lopez, NBA Cares ambassador, Councilman Dominic Recchia, Josh Lockwood, regional CEO, American Red Cross Greater NY  

Teaching Emergency Preparedness on Long Island

More than 50 people attended a free Be Red Cross Ready preparedness event at St. Anne’s Church in Brentwood, N.Y., today. Jeff O'Neill, Red Cross community recovery specialist, and Nathan Ward, Red Cross AmeriCorps volunteer, taught the class.

An additional 14 Red Cross volunteers, all of whom assisted with the Sandy relief effort, also took the training. A Spanish interpreter from St. Anne’s, Margarita Espinosa, translated the information for the Spanish speakers in attendance. On hand for the event were Deborah Kirnon, director of St. Anne’s Parish outreach; a representative from Senator Phillip Boyle’s office; and Long Island legislator Ricardo Montano. After the training, the volunteers went to Brentwood’s Ross Park to hand out Red Cross preparedness flyers.