Polk Red Cross helps two families after Winter Haven fire

WINTER HAVEN, FL (Oct. 31, 2008) – Red Cross volunteers helped two families Friday after a fire from one Winter Haven house jumped to another and destroyed both homes.

The fire started Friday morning in a home on Fourth Street NE in Winter Haven. The American Red Cross Polk County Chapter provided the woman living there with temporary shelter; a comfort kit (personal hygiene kit); emergency assistance for groceries, clothing and shoes; and a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal to comfort her.

The fire also jumped to a second house occupied by a 99-year-old woman and her adult son. She was transported to the hospital. The Red Cross provided him with temporary shelter; a comfort kit (personal hygiene kit); emergency assistance for groceries, clothing and shoes; and a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal to help comfort his mother.

Since July 1, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has helped more than 50 families after small local disasters – roughly one family every 2-3 days or at least three families each week. Each local chapter has a Disaster Action Team of volunteers taking turns to go out on disaster calls — usually home fires — at any time of the day or night, to ensure that those who need American Red Cross help can get it as soon as possible.

Information on preventing home fires is available through your local Red Cross office on on the Polk County Chapter web site at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org.

The American Red Cross provides immediate emergency assistance based on need, thanks to donations from people and businesses in the local community. Please support your local Red Cross.

The Ledger – Fire Destroys Two Homes

News Chief – 99-Year-Old Woman Rescued as Fire Destroys Two Homes

Red Cross helps second family after N. Lake Avenue Fire

AVON PARK, FL (Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 ) – Red Cross volunteers have helped a second family that lost everything in Wednesday’s quad-plex fire in Avon Park.

The mother and daughter, both adults, were away from home at the time of the fire, but unfortunately their three dogs and cat perished in the blaze. They met with Red Cross volunteers Thursday afternoon, who provided them with temporary shelter, comfort kits (personal hygiene kits), emergency assistance for clothing and groceries, and landlord verification forms to assist in relocation.

Red Cross also referred them to The Salvation Army, Good Samaritans Touch, and the Church Service Center for additional assistance. Volunteers are still seeking a third family who lived in one of the other apartments to see if they also need assistance.

Home fires are still the most common local disaster for Red Cross volunteers, and are expected to increase as weather turns colder. The American Red Cross asks every family to use all precaution with space heaters, to check their smoke detectors, and include fire prevention as part of their disaster planning during this season. Information on preventing home fires is online at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org or at the Highlands County office at 106 Medical Center Avenue in Sebring.

The American Red Cross will respond to help people affected by disaster, whether that disaster is a severe storm, flood, tornado, or house fire. Please support your local Red Cross. In Highlands County, please call (863) 386-4440 to support your local Red Cross office, or e-mail hcarc@vistanet.net.

Polk Red Cross conitnues to help families affected by sinkhole

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29, 2008 – The American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has now provided more help to families displaced by a sinkhole forming slowly under homes in Lake Wales.

The local Red Cross began responding shortly after the sinkhole formed on Sunday, Oct. 26, on Stewart Avenue in Lake Wales. The Red Cross provided temporary shelter to three families that day, and then provided temporary shelter to a fourth family the next day (Monday).

Volunteers have provided landlord verifications forms to assist two families with relocation: A family of two adults and a family with four adults and a 2-year-old child. A third family is staying with friends, while a fourth family — four adults and an infant — is moving into another unit managed by the same landlord.

The Red Cross also referred families to the Lake Wales Care Center for additional assistance, if needed.

Highlands Red Cross helps Avon Park family of four

Volunteers working to contact other tenants in quad-plex fire

AVON PARK, FL (Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008) – Highlands Red Cross volunteers helped one family of four, and are still trying to contact two other families who live in a four-unit apartment building that caught fire early Wednesday morning.

Volunteers arrived at 8:02 a.m. Wednesday at the apartments on North Lake Avenue in Avon Park. They met a family of four – two adults and two children – and provided them with temporary shelter, comfort kits (personal hygiene kits), groceries, and odor-control concentrate to help salvage items from the home.

Volunteers are still seeking two other families who reportedly lived there to see if they also need assistance.

Home fires are still the most common local disaster for Red Cross volunteers, and are expected to increase as weather turns colder and people turn to alternative means of heat. The American Red Cross asks every family to use all precaution with space heaters, to check their smoke detectors, and include fire prevention as part of their disaster planning during this season. Information on preventing home fires is on the local Red Cross chapter web site at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org or at the Highlands County office at 106 Medical Center Avenue in Sebring.

The American Red Cross will respond to help people affected by disaster, whether that disaster is a severe storm, flood, tornado, or house fire. Please support your local Red Cross. In Highlands County, please call (863) 386-4440 to support your local Red Cross office, or e-mail hcarc@vistanet.net.

Polk Red Cross helps families displaced by two separate fires

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 — American Red Cross Polk County volunteers helped families affected by two separate fires on Tuesday.

The first fire took place on Jana Circle in Auburndale. one adult displaced had arranged to stay with a neighbor, but the Polk Red Cross was able to provide a personal hygiene kit, emergency assistance for clothing and groceries, and a bottle of odor-control concentrated cleaner to help salvage items from the home.

The second fire took place on Avenue W, NW, in Winter Haven. The Red Cross was able to provide two adults with temporary shelter, emergency assistance for clothing and groceries, personal hygiene kits, blankets, and a stuffed animal toy to comfort them.

Since July 1, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has helped approximately 50 families after small local disasters – roughly one family every 2-3 days or at least three families each week. The American Red Cross provides immediate emergency assistance based on need, thanks to donations from people in the local community. Each local chapter has a Disaster Action Team of volunteers taking turns to go out on disaster calls — usually home fires — at any time of the day or night, to ensure that those who need American Red Cross help can get it as soon as possible.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. Since July 1, 2008, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter helped approximately 50 families affected by local disasters in Polk County . Almost all were home fires. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it is funded directly by donations. You can help victims of local disasters by making a financial gift to your local American Red Cross chapter. The Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish your donation to assist with a specific disaster, please indicate that when you make your donation. Contributions may be sent to the Polk County Chapter at 147 Avenue A, NW, Winter Haven , FL 33881 or by calling (863) 294-5941.

Polk Red Cross helps families threatened by sinkhole

Red Cross volunteers Linda Haskins (left) and Daphne Gray view sinkhole damage from a distance, while city work crews take measurements along the street where houses were cracked and damaged by the sinking soil.

LAKE WALES, FL (Oct. 26, 2008 ) — The Red Cross provided temporary shelter and other assistance to three families Sunday afternoon after a sinkhole began dropping out from under a duplex at the corner of West Stuart Avenue and North Sharp Street in Lake Wales.

Local authorities evacuated the families when they learned that the west end of the duplex had settled and cracked and that the sinkhole showed signs of affecting other homes on the street. All told, disaster volunteers with the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter helped 11 people: A family of four adults with an infant, a family with two adults, and a family with three adults and a child. Volunteers are working to contact two other families living on the street who were also told to evacuate for safety, but who were not present on Sunday afternoon.

Since July 1, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has helped nearly 50 families after small local disasters — roughly one family every 2-3 days or at least three families each week. The American Red Cross provides immediate emergency assistance based on need, thanks to donations from people in the local community. Each local chapter has a Disaster Action Team of volunteers taking turns to go out on disaster calls — usually home fires — at any time of the day or night, to ensure that those who need American Red Cross help can get it as soon as possible.

Polk Red Cross helps Lake Wales family of five

LAKE WALES, FL (Oct. 22, 2008 ) – On Wednesday morning, a family of five in Lake Wales was displaced by a house fire, but volunteers from the American Red Cross came to their aid.

The fire occurred Wednesday morning on North Scenic Highway in Lake Wales. Volunteers with the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter arrived on the scene at 10:30 a.m. and provided the family – two adults and three children – with temporary shelter, emergency assistance for groceries and clothing, comfort kits (personal hygiene kits), odor-control concentrate to help salvage items from the home, landlord verification forms to help in relocation, and a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal to comfort the children.

Every week and each year, home fires are the most common local disaster for Red Cross volunteers. The American Red Cross asks every family to include fire prevention in their disaster plans by using extra caution around any open flame, cooking surface, electrical appliance, or when using or storing any flammable fuel. Look for information on preventing home fires at http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org, or visit the main office at 147 Avenue A, NW, in Winter Haven.

Two Students at Avon Park Middle School Saved from Choking

Medical Tech Susan Prohaska and ESE Teacher Debi Phelps Awarded in 2008 for Saving Two Students’ Lives

By PHIL ATTINGER/American Red Cross

Highlands Red Cross Director Art Harriman (left) and Debi Phelps show her award for 'Extraordinary Personal Action' to Antonio Bostick, a student she saved from choking by using her American Red Cross CPR and First Aid training.

AVON PARK (Sept. 24, 2008) – On Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008, Arthur Bostick got the call no parent wants to hear: His 14-year-old son, Antonio, was choking at Avon Park Middle School.

He raced over, calling ahead to warn school staff that he would not show ID at the main office.

“By the time I got there, (Antonio) was smiling,” Arthur Bostick said.

Debi Phelps, ESE teacher, had saved his life.

It happened during snack time. Antonio was eating cereal.

“He started making gasping sounds,” Phelps said, “and had a panicked look.”

She asked if he needed help and he nodded. She immediately went behind him and performed abdominal thrusts and back blows, dislodging the food. After Emergency Medical Services arrived and treated the boy, he was well enough to return to class.

Phelps got her training from a Red Cross course, and had just recertified at the end of last school year. She has had Red Cross training before, and used it. The first time was 10-15 years ago on a guest when she worked as a manager/waitress at Walt Disney World; the second time was on her daughter. Her daughter had eaten too much too fast, and some of the food slipped into her windpipe.

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Highlands County School Board meeting, the American Red Cross honored Phelps for saving a student’s life: “Extraordinary Personal Action.”

Phelps is the second APMS staff member to have saved a life in four months. Susan Prohaska, the school Health Tech, helped a 12-year-old boy on May 29. She also had American Red Cross training.

Prohaska was called to a classroom party to help a student who had turned blue, choking on a large piece of glazed donut. She placed him on the floor, delivered back blows and abdominal thrusts, and the child eventually coughed up a wad of dough swollen to the size of a baseball. That child was treated at Tampa General Hospital.

The Highlands Red Cross honored her on June 17, during the Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner.

That wasn’t the last time Prohaska used her Red Cross skills. She used them over the summer, along with her husband.

Their grandchildren were visiting and one of them started choking. Her huband delivered the back blows, but her training helped direct both of them.

“I appreciate my training,” Prohaska said. “It does keep you calm.”

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. Your local American Red Cross also holds classes to train people in life-saving techniques. Times and costs for classes are available at your local Red Cross office. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it is funded directly by donations. You can help victims of local disasters or support health and safety education programs by making a financial gift to your local American Red Cross. The Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish your donation to assist with a specific disaster, please indicate that when you make your donation. Contributions may be sent to the Highlands County Service Center at 106 Medical Center Drive, Sebring, FL 33870, or made by calling (863) 386-4440.