In response to the still rising and devastating floodwaters across the Southeastern U.S., a team of volunteers from the Frederick E. Turnage Chapter of the American Red Cross deployed with the chapter’s emergency response vehicle to provide assistance. Red Cross volunteers Roy and Esther Cash have begun a potential three-week deployment to provide aid and comfort to the flood victims in Kentucky and Tennessee.
The affected area is expected to receive another 2 or 3 inches of rain Sunday after severe rains raised the Harpeth River to higher than 26 feet. According to news reports, the flooding has claimed at least five lives. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen will be requesting a federal disaster declaration.
“The flooding the people in Tennessee in the Nashville area (are seeing) is some of the worst ever experienced,” said Frederick E. Turnage Chapter Regional Executive Lynwood Roberson. “The citizens of our area are always sympathetic to flooding due to what we experienced just over 10 years ago with Hurricane Floyd. Our chapter volunteers will be on the ground in the affected areas delivering food and other items and perhaps equally as important will be the care and compassion they will provide to the flood victims. It’s an honor for our Red Cross volunteers to now help the citizens of Tennessee begin their recovery.”
Red Cross is providing a safe place to stay, food to eat and a shoulder to lean on for those affected by the flooding, which has prompted evacuations, washed out bridges, caused landslides and closed highways across the area.
This response comes at a time when Red Cross chapters across the country are experiencing a lag or significant drop in their donations. Red Cross chapters are congressionally mandated to provide disaster relief. Chapters find this increasingly difficult as the economy continues to struggle and donations are down following the tremendous outpouring of support for Haiti following the earthquake in mid January.
“The local Turnage chapter is similar to many other small to mid-size Red Cross chapters across the country,” Roberson said. “We rely tremendously on donations to operate our chapter annually. Over $175,000 was donated from our area to the Haiti response. As a result our donations from individuals and businesses are down significantly from past years. We rely on these donations to respond to local disasters, to support blood collection, provide life saving training and to support our Armed Forces personnel and their families. We urge donors to support their local Red Cross chapters with another donation to help us continue to fulfill the mission of the Red Cross. The gift given today may help save or sustain a life tomorrow.”
Red Cross offers the following steps people should take to be ready and stay safe:
Be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way. Six inches of swiftly moving water can sweep you off of your feet.
If you come upon a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
Listen to area radio and television stations and a NOAA Weather Radio for possible flood warnings and reports of flooding in progress or other critical information from the National Weather Service.
When a flood or flash flood warning is issued for your area, head for higher ground and stay there.
American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of this and thousands of other disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. Call 252-977-1720. Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to the Frederick E. Turnage Chapter at 326 S. Franklin St., Rocky Mount, NC 27804 or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting http://www.turnageredcross.org/
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