American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties’ Month in Review – October 2018

SAN DIEGO – November 5, 2018 – The American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties operates with the mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. In October 2018, the following key programs and services were provided throughout the region, which covers all of San Diego and Imperial Counties as well as American Samoa:

Disaster Services:

• Responded to 24 incidents, including 20 home fires
• Served 26 families including 84 individuals

National Disaster Responses – more than 100 local Red Cross disaster workers have assisted with disaster responses this fall, including:

• Hurricane Florence – a total of 54 people from across our region assisted with the disaster relief efforts across Virginia, North and South Carolina. The response is still on-going and four local volunteers are currently on the ground in North Carolina.
• Hurricane Michael – Hurricane Michael caused incredible destruction in Florida and tens of thousands of people are still dealing with the terrible impact of this deadly storm. The American Red Cross is there now, helping people in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, and will be there in the weeks to come as people begin to recover and rebuild. A total of 35 local volunteers responded to help with the disaster relief efforts and 15 local volunteers are still on the ground across Florida and Georgia.
• Typhoon Yutu – Typhoon Yutu caused major damage across the Northern Mariana Islands and two local San Diego-based Red Cross disaster workers are a part of the on-the-ground response efforts.

Service to the Armed Forces:

• Provided services to 800 military members, veterans and spouses.
• Conducted 18 outreach and pre-deployment briefings, fulfilling 100 percent of command requests.
• Service to the Armed Forces caseworkers conducted family follow up on 232 emergency cases for the San Diego Region and provided $4,689.73 in emergency financial assistance to military and veteran families.

Volunteers:

• Local Red Cross services were supported by volunteers who spent a total of 7,622 hours this month to aid the Red Cross mission.
• The October 2018 Volunteer of the Month is Cheri Curtis. Cheri stepped up in assisting the Disaster Services department when the shelter lead was out of town this summer. She not only held everything together, but improved the processes and was a critical part of this summer’s West Fire response. Cheri was selected to visit the national Red Cross office for leadership training and operational experience before completing a deployment for this fall’s hurricane responses.

Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program:

• A total of 22,448 women, infants, and children received nutrition counseling and support in October 2018.
• For more than 40 years, the local Red Cross has administered the WIC program in San Diego County. WIC is a supplemental nutrition assistance program that provides families in the most vulnerable communities with access to nutrition education, breastfeeding support, community resources, and groceries.

Upcoming Events:

Sunday, November 11 – Holidays for Heroes

• On November 11, the public is invited to stop by the Veterans Museum in Balboa Park from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to make holiday cards sending best wishes to military members and their families, thanking them for their service.

Tuesday, November 27 – Giving Tuesday

• Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving and a wonderful time to give back to your favorite non-profits. To donate to the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org/donate.

Wednesday, November 28 – Aztecs for Life Blood Drive

• San Diego State University is hosting a blood drive with the goal of collecting 400 pints of blood. Schedule your appointment, find directions and more information here.

Sound the Alarm free smoke alarm installations

• Santee – Tuesday, December 4: Red Cross volunteers and partners will install free smoke alarms to save lives. Find more information at soundthealarm.org/sandiego.

For more information about the American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties, please visit redcross.org/sandiego.

About the American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties
The American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties is the most trusted community service organization in education, preparation and response to natural disasters and human emergencies. With the public’s ongoing support, we provide lifesaving preparedness training; disaster relief services; services to deployed military personnel and their families, and nutritional counseling through our Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. Through Prepare San Diego, a regional resiliency initiative, the Red Cross brings together key community and business leaders from the region to create a sustainable network that encourages preparedness, carries out response and recovery plans, and strives for resiliency in the face of disaster, meeting all aspects of the disaster lifecycle.  The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/sandiego or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.