Red Cross helps family of 10 in Eloise after house fire

ELOISE, FL (April 17, 2008 ) — Early Thursday morning, American Red Cross volunteers rolled out to help a family of 10 — five adults and five children, including two infants — after fire damaged their home in Eloise, just south of Winter Haven.
The Polk County Chapter got the call at 2:45 a.m. Two volunteers with the chapter’s Disaster Action Team responded to the home on First Street in Eloise and provided the family with temporary shelter, emergency assistance for food and clothing, comfort kits (personal hygiene kits), landlord verification forms for relocation, surplus Ride for the Red T-shirts, blankets, and teddy bear stuffed toys to comfort the children.
Later that morning, at the Chapter main office, Red Cross staff provided the family with book packs and some school supplies for the family’s two school-age children.
The local American Red Cross works with local fire departments to be notified when people affected by fire need immediate emergency assistance. The Red Cross also works with United Way of Central Florida partner agencies to refer people for further assistance, if needed.
Home fires remain the most common, deadly, and preventable disasters seen by Red Cross responders. In Polk and Highlands counties, the local American Red Cross has assisted approximately 207 families affected by local disasters since July 2007. Most of them were home fires.
In March, in Polk County alone, the Red Cross assisted 70 people, all of them affected by single-family fires. Red Cross volunteers urge all families to take precautions to prevent home fires and to make and practice escape plans to ensure all loved ones get out of a fire safely.
People can help their families and communities by donating time, skills, or money to their American Red Cross, or by learning from the Red Cross how to prepare for disasters or how to respond with valuable life-saving skills in an emergency. To volunteer, take classes, or donate to the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter call (863) 294-5941, visit the chapter at 147 Avenue A, NW, Winter Haven, Fla., or visit online at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org.
Thank you for preparing for disaster and for supporting your local American Red Cross.

Red Cross helps Winter Haven family after house fire

WINTER HAVEN, FL (April 14, 2008 ) — On Monday, April 14, American Red Cross volunteers assisted a Winter Haven family whose house was damaged by fire.
   Volunteers arrived at the home on Diamond Road at 1:30 p.m. Monday, and were able to provide the family of four adults and one child with temporary shelter, comfort kits (personal hygiene kits), and two teddy bear stuffed toys to comfort them.
   The local American Red Cross works with local fire departments to be notified when people affected by fire need immediate emergency assistance. The Red Cross also works with United Way of Central Florida partner agencies to refer people for further assistance, if needed.
   Home fires remain the most common, deadly, and preventable disasters seen by Red Cross responders. In Polk and Highlands counties, the local American Red Cross has assisted more than 200 families affected by local disasters since July 2007. Most of them were home fires. In March, in Polk County alone, the Red Cross assisted 70 people, all of them affected by single-family fires. Red Cross volunteers urge all families to take precautions to prevent home fires and to make and practice escape plans to ensure all loved ones get out of a fire safely.
   People can help their families and communities by donating time, skills, or money to their American Red Cross, or by learning from the Red Cross how to prepare for disasters or how to respond with valuable life-saving skills in an emergency. To volunteer, take classes, or donate to the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter call (863) 294-5941, visit the chapter at 147 Avenue A, NW, Winter Haven, Fla., or visit online at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org.

Red Cross helps couple in Haines City after house fire

HAINES CITY, FL (April 13, 2008 ) — On Sunday evening, April 13, American Red Cross volunteers received word about a fire that had displaced two adults from their home on Tyner Road in Haines City. Shortly after that, three Red Cross volunteers arrived to help the couple with their immediate emergency needs.
The couple had chosen to stay the first night in a travel trailer on site. Volunteers will follow-up with the couple to see if further shelter assistance is needed. However, volunteers were able to provide them immediate emergency assistance for groceries, two comfort kits (personal hygiene kits), odor-control concentrate cleaner to help salvage items from the home, landlord verification forms for relocation, and a Mickey Mouse stuffed toy to comfort them.
The local American Red Cross works with local fire departments to be notified when people affected by fire need immediate emergency assistance. The Red Cross also works with United Way of Central Florida partner agencies to refer people for further assistance, if needed.
Home fires remain the most common, deadly, and preventable disasters seen by Red Cross responders. In Polk and Highlands counties, the local American Red Cross has assisted more than 200 families affected by local disasters since July 2007. Most of them were home fires. In March, in Polk County alone, the Red Cross assisted 70 people, all of them affected by single-family fires. Red Cross volunteers urge all families to take precautions to prevent home fires and to make and practice escape plans to ensure all loved ones get out of a fire safely.
People can help their families and communities by donating time, skills, or money to their American Red Cross, or by learning from the Red Cross how to prepare for disasters or how to respond with valuable life-saving skills in an emergency. To volunteer, take classes, or donate to the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter call (863) 294-5941, visit the chapter at 147 Avenue A, NW, Winter Haven, Fla., or visit online at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org.
Thank you for preparing for disaster and for supporting your local American Red Cross.

Polk Chapter helps more than 200 families affected by home fires

POLK and HIGHLANDS COUNTIES, FL — The local American Red Cross chapter has served more than 200 families in just over nine months.
At the end of March 2008, with still three months to go in the service year, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter, serving Polk and Highlands Counties, had served 193 families affected by local disasters, most of which were single-family or multiple-family fires. In some cases, more than 10 families were affected at once.
Now, at mid-April, the total number of families helped has reached 205. The 2007-2008 service year has been a busy one for local Disaster Action Team members: Red Cross volunteers who are trained and ready to respond at any hour of the day to local disasters that affect one family at a time.
Home fires still remain the most common local disaster. It is extemely important to practice good fire prevention, to have and know how to use fire extinguishers, to have a portable kit of emergency supplies available when evacuating your home, to have and practice a plan of escape, and to know first aid and CPR in case you are the first or only person available to provide it.
For more information on how to prepare for disaster or an emergency, or how to prevent home fires, contact your local office of the American Red Cross:

• In Polk County, call (863) 294-5941 or e-mail polkcofl@polkredcross.org.
• In Highlands County, call (863) 386-4440 or e-mail hcarc@vistanet.net.