Your Red Cross Update

On Sunday, July 29, 2019, a tragic mass casualty event occurred at about 5:30 PM, in the closing hours of the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Shortly after midnight that evening, the City of Gilroy Fire Department and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) formally requested American Red Cross support for a city shelter providing refuge for people who were not able to retrieve their personal belongings, vehicles and or identification. The Red Cross opened a shelter at Christopher High School in Gilroy and operated that shelter until Thursday, August 1 during which time Red Cross volunteers and community partners provided health, mental health, feeding and recovery planning services.

Many people, especially festival vendors, were unable to drive home due to security measures that prevented them from getting to their vehicles. The Red Cross opened a shelter nearby to provide a safe place for those who needed it.

The Red Cross provided child care and children’s disaster services, including health and mental health services, following the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting.

Santa Clara County asked the Red Cross to support a Family Assistance Center (FAC) at Rucker Elementary School in Gilroy starting Monday, July 30, 2019. Red Cross provided disaster health services, disaster mental health, caseworkers, feeding, and logistical support to the facility while it was opened. The Red Cross also arranged child-care services at the FAC in partnership with Children’s Disaster Services.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Victim Services Department and the FBI’s Victim Services Unit managed the center and provided support to those affected by the Disaster.

Red Cross mental health services volunteer Linda Powers visits with a child on the playground at the elementary school where the Red Cross provided services following the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting.

A heartfelt message welcomes visitors to the Family Assistance Center, established in the wake of the Gilroy Garlic Festival mass casualty event.

The Red Cross is still supporting the Disaster Relief Operation which has evolved into the Recovery Phase.  Assistance is continuing for people who lost family members or who were injured or otherwise adversely affected when they fled from the scene of the shooting.

Many local eateries and businesses came forward to provide the Red Cross, first responders and impacted residents with donated meals. Pictured here is a donated hot lunch from Noah’s Bar and Bistro in Morgan Hill.

The Red Cross effort was truly part of a team effort with key partners including the Santa Clara County District Attorney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the City of Gilroy, the City of Gilroy Unified School District, Morgan Hill Emergency Manager and Children’s Disaster Services.

To learn more about Red Cross services in the Northern California Coastal Region, please visit www.redcross.org/norcalcoastal.