Tag Archives: Regional

This Red Cross shelter is just what this trio — and hundreds of others here — have so desperately needed

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This is another in a series of stories we are posting on our regional Red Cross blog related to the American Red Cross response to the Kincade Fire disaster:

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Jim Armstrong (left), Luke Armstrong, and Cynthia Jackson are grateful for the “open-armed” reception they and others have received at a Red Cross shelter in Petaluma. (Photo: Jim Burns | American Red Cross)

To see more stories related to the Red Cross response to the Kincade Fire, please go here.
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It’s fair to say that Jim and Luke Armstrong, a father-son pair who both live in the North Bay community of Sebastopol, have a well-honed habit of looking out for each other. So when mandatory evacuation orders came to their respective neighborhoods in the dark of Sunday morning, they quite naturally left town together in search of alternative housing.

With upwards of 200,000 other people getting similar orders related to the Kincade Fire, the Armstrongs couldn’t find any. Read more

Red Cross shelters in North Bay are people AND pet friendly

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This is the first of a series of stories we will be posting related to the American Red Cross response to the Kincade Fire disaster:

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The Red Cross and community shelters have been people- and pet-friendly, as Debbie Chiurco and “Shorty” happily discovered. (Photo: Jim Burns | American Red Cross)

To see more stories related to the Red Cross response to the Kincade Fire, please go here.

Debbie Chiurco, a resident of the Sonoma County city of Sebastopol, had never been through an evacuation before. But her status suddenly changed when she received a leave-now order on her cell phone at 4 a.m. on Sunday. The emergency notification was soon followed up by police sirens and the knocking of caring neighbors, all reaching out to convey the same thing: The high winds that were forecast in Northern California would put Debbie at risk from the Kincade Fire; she should leave now!

With her dog and cat accompanying her, Debbie made it to a shelter the Red Cross is helping operate at the fairgrounds in Petaluma. “I just followed the cars here,” she said. Read more

Over half of homes in Silver Creek Mobile Estates made safer by ‘Sound the Alarm’ event

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On October 19, 2019, a team of over 100 American Red Cross and Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers supported by Council Member for District 7, Maya Esparza, San Jose Fire Department worked in teams to install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

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The Silver Creek Mobile Estates is a community of 240 homes located in San Jose, California. Captain Bien Doan of the San Jose Fire Department working with Terry Unter, Disaster Services Volunteer at the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Red Cross, directed a coordinated campaign to canvass the community and pre-book Saturday morning appointments for the installations. Following the installation, everyone regrouped for lunch: subs from Lee’s Sandwiches. Read more

Red Cross Service to Armed Forces supports San Francisco Fleet Week

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San Francisco has a long and proud maritime history. A highlight of San Francisco’s celebration of its connection with America’s sea services is Fleet Week (SFFW)which began in 1981. The event has taken place every October since then. A major attraction of Fleet Week has been the Humanitarian Village on the Marina Green.

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The Red Cross tent at the Humanitarian Assistance Village during the San Francisco Fleet Week 2019.

The Humanitarian Assistance Village (HAV) is a showcase for civilian and military organizations to help the public understand their roles and provide education on a variety of topics related to cooperation and knowledge among civilian and military Humanitarian Assistance personnel.

The Red Cross SAF has been a vital part of the Humanitarian Village for many years. This year was no different. Under the Leadership of Go Funai, Regional Director for SAF, and Workers in Charge Liz Dietz, Jolinda Sim, and JJ Lara, a team of about 90 volunteers from across the Bay Area manned the Red Cross area on the Marina Green on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (October 11, 12 and 13, 2019).

During that period the team had over 1,500 interactions with the public. This included providing disaster preparedness information to 491 people, teaching 351 people about Stop the Bleed, 310 people about hands only CPR and 264 people about fire safety and the Red Cross Sound the Alarm program. In addition, over 100 people were provided general information about Red Cross services.

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Hands-only CPR and Stop the Bleed were two trainings offered at the Red Cross tent during Fleet Week.

Volunteers came from all over the Bay Area and ranged in age from High School Youth volunteers to those who have been volunteering with the Red Cross to those who have been Red Cross volunteers for over 40 years.

The mission of Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces is to provide humanitarian support to service members, veterans and their families around the clock, around the globe, under a trusted symbol. The 2019 San Francisco Fleet Week serves as a great event for people to share in the history of this great City and learn how to be prepared in the case of a disaster.

To learn about the Red Cross Service to Armed Forces in the Northern California Coastal Region, visit our website. Additional photos from the San Francisco Fleet Week 2019 may be viewed on our Flickr page.

The Hardest Job

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30 Years Later, the Loma Prieta Earthquake Response Remains Jim Aldrich’s Most Difficult

Galveston Island had seen better days. Hurricane Jerry had battered the Texas barrier island cum tourist haunt the day before, leaving flooded roads strewn with flotsam and sand dunes pummeled into the mud. Jim Aldrich of the American Red Cross, who was in Galveston as part of the organization’s recovery effort, had just settled in to watch Game 3 of the World Series from his hotel room. The game’s telecast, aired live from San Francisco, suddenly scratched with static as the frame jerked and spasmed. There was confusion, shouting.

“We’re having an earth-” someone said before the live feed cut to black.

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An aerial view of the collapsed section of the Cypress Structure. The 6.9 earthquake caused the top deck of the highway to fall onto the lower deck, killing 42 people.

It was October 17, 1989, and Northern California had just experienced a catastrophic event, the Loma Prieta earthquake. The 6.9 tremor ravaged homes, infrastructure, and lives from Monterey Bay through the Bay Area, leaving 66 people dead, thousands injured, and tens of thousands homeless. Like Jim, millions watched the quake strike in real time on live television.

The Red Cross contacted Jim, an employee from St. Louis, within hours of the now-cancelled World Series game; he would trade the Texas Gulf Coast for a new deployment to the earthquake response in California. Having 8+ years with the Red Cross and ample disaster experience under his belt, he felt up to the job. However, as he would learn over the next three months, the Loma Prieta response would be the most challenging of his career.
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Critical Fire Weather and Wildfire Starts in Across California

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As of Thursday, a Red Flag Warning expired in Northern California but went into effect for Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties through Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service. In addition, more than 170,000 Southern California utility customers are under a power shutoff watch throughout the region. Twenty-two counties in Northern California in recent days have also sustained power shutoffs in preventative wildfire efforts. PG&E has begun restoring power in those Northern California counties. The Red Cross has had logistics teams in place monitoring events across the state. Read more

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