Diving Deeper Into The American Red Cross

Diving Deeper Into the American Red Cross

Being from Boston, Massachusetts and being away at college half way across the country really made for a stressful situation. Even knowing that family and friends were fine by communicating through phones and Facebook there was still that ever present, “what if?”  If the wind had switched a few degrees of direction then the worst of the storm would have been in a completely different place. And it very well could have shifted.

After seeing the carnage all over the news but being reassured that everything was okay after the storm had passed was an immense relief.  Everyone had been prepared and ready for the storm.  The northeast region of the United States had never experienced a hurricane to this magnitude before.  They never really ever experience hurricanes in the first place.  So for everyone to come out in good shape was good to hear.

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The coastal areas of New Jersey and New York were immensely affected though.  In all, thirty people died and it was considered the worst hurricane to ever hit the east coast.  It was so big that it even affected as far west as Michigan too.

For those at the heart of the damage everything they owned is still completely destroyed.  Thousands of workers and volunteers are putting their best foot forward and helping in the disaster relief effort.

You May Have Never Known

The American Red Cross is one of the largest aid providers that is currently working in the most damaged areas right now.  They also may offer much more than you think they do to the people they work to help. The American Red Cross does not just help pick up debris and give people clean water and food.  Although these are the essentials that people need.  The American Red Cross also offers shelters to those who have been displaced from their homes.

A shelter is one of the bare essentials that everyone needs.  If you have ever watched an episode of “Man Versus Wild” with its host Bear Grylls then you know one of his main concerns every night is how he will make his shelter.  In an area such as the one destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, everything pretty much becomes a free-for-all.  Crime rises when there are no doors to be locked and very little forms of protection for people.  People also become very desperate when they have so little for an extended period of time.

These three reasons make the shelters that the American Red Cross provides so essential for the community on its way to recovery. A second problem that I was thinking might happen to the people I know was that I would lose all connection with them if the storm hit their homes hard enough.  Not knowing where they are at any given moment when you knew the storm was going on would be a worst case scenario.

Always There 

The American Red Cross has a database of all of the people who have checked in with them to one of their shelters and where they currently are.  You can count on this information being correct because the people who enter the data are the people who have lost connection to everyone and they enter the data themselves.  That is giving friends and loved ones huge piece of mind.

All of this information can be found on the American Red Cross website and it is and always will be free.  The American Red Cross is an incredible non-profit organization that has been doing what it does since 1881.  Surviving as one of the oldest non-profits in the country makes it one of the most reputable ones as well.

Brian Connor

About the Author:

Brian Connor has written for many disaster relief blogs.  You can begin your search for a cleanup crew here http://www.firstrestorationdki.com/