Weather & Environmental Hazards –
The Challenges of Awareness, Research, and Education in NJ
Friday, November 14, 2008
Colonial Crossroads Chapter of the American Red Cross Disaster Preparedness and Response
The Colonial Crossroads Chapter of the American Red Cross serves nearly 130,000 residents in Berkeley Heights, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, East Hanover, Florham Park, Long Hill Township, Madison, New Providence, Springfield and Summit. Our programs and services include disaster preparedness education and response services; life-saving skill training such as CPR, First Aid, and water safety; armed forces emergency services, transportation and blood services. Our Disaster Action Team (DAT) is on call 24/7 to assist families in need. Our team has responded to 15 disasters this year, mainly house fires. In addition, we have trained more than 17,000 individuals who have attended our health and safety classes. In times of disaster we partner with other community organizations and together we are ready to respond in times of crisis with shelter, food and mental health counseling. When possible, we are ready to respond before a disaster hits. When Hurricane Gustav made landfall in Louisiana, we had already activated our Disaster Action Team and had highly-trained individuals briefed and prepared to respond. We were able to deploy four of these volunteers to support the hurricane relief effort. Another component of our disaster response effort is to support the First Responders -- these are the men and women of the police, fire department and emergency medical squads who are the first-line of relief when there is a crisis. Our team is there with hot coffee, food, blankets and support for these individuals. We will then offer our services to the clients in need.
