Chapter Newsletter

Local Volunteers Aid in New England Flood Relief

Earlier this month torrential rains drove residents of the New England area to evacuate their homes. Severely damaged homes, businesses, communities, and roads forced New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts to declare a state of emergency.

Flood waters have finally subsided in the northeast and residents are returning to see their homes and streets in shambles. Burst pine lines and submerged power sources filled the cities with sewage and debris.  The Iowa Rivers Chapter of the Red Cross is one of the many Red Cross chapters dispatching volunteers to provide supplies and medical aid for the victims of this disaster.

Dedicated local volunteers, Jean Van Voorhis of Brooklyn, Rose Shine of Conrad, and Kay Deane of Toledo have recently been deployed to Massachusetts and New Hampshire to provide aid for those affected.  In the effort to provide relief, these volunteers will be providing health services such as shelter, healthcare, and first-aid for the victims.

Kay Deane	Rose Shine	Jean Van Voorhis

“We are so lucky to have such dedicated volunteers,” said Dean Sweberg, Emergency Services Director, “but this is only the beginning of the disaster season.  The more support and volunteering we get from the community, the more we can help victims of disasters, both locally and nationally.”

To learn more about volunteering at your local Red Cross visit their website at http://iowarivers.redcross.org or call the Iowa Rivers Chapter at (641)753-3317. 

All Red Cross disaster assistance is free, make possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people.  You can help victims of this upcoming season by sending a donation by mail to your local American Red Cross chapter, 709 S Center St. Marshalltown, 50158 or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.  Internet users can make secure online credit card donations by visiting www.redcross.org.