Red Cross helps Lakeland family of 12 after home fire

LAKELAND, FL (July 27, 2009) – On Monday night, American Red Cross volunteers helped a family of 12 after their home caught fire.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter arrived at 8:30 p.m. at the home on North Suwannee Avenue in Lakeland, displacing a family of five adults and seven children.

Volunteers provided them with temporary shelter, comfort kits (personal hygiene supplies), emergency assistance for groceries, and odor-control concentrated cleaner to help salvage items from the home.

Any disaster, large or small, can be devastating to a family. This incident represented the third family affected by fire in two days in Polk County. In the last 12 months, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has helped more than 190 families in Polk and Highlands Counties after local disasters, most of them home fires. Please take every precaution and follow fire safety tips to prevent fires in your home, and please support your local Red Cross.

Learn to prevent fire from the Polk County Chapter at (863) 294-5941, visit the American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region web site at www.midfloridaredcross.org.

Polk Red Cross responds to house fire in Bartow

BARTOW, FL (July 25, 2009) — On Saturday, July 25, American Red Cross volunteers with the Polk County Chapter helped a family of four affected by a house fire in Bartow.

Volunteers arrived on scene at 10 a.m. The family had arranged to stay with relatives. Volunteers provided two adults and two children with comfort kits (personal hygiene supplies), emergency assistance for groceries, emergency assistance for clothing for the children, a clean-up kit, and odor-control concentrated cleaner to help salvage items from the home.

The American Red Cross assists families with immediate emergency needs after disaster, large or small, including single-family home fires. In the last year, the Polk County Chapter assisted 194 families in Polk and Highlands counties after local and single-family disasters.

Highlands Red Cross completes feeding at landfill fire

SEBRING, FL (JULY 24, 2009) – Local Red Cross volunteers have finished providing food for emergency personnel fighting a fire at the Highlands County Landfill on Arbuckle Creek Road.

Red Cross volunteers provided breakfast for 60 firefighters and other emergency personnel, and were completed by 10:45 a.m. Reportedly, the fire was extinguished shortly after noon.

It is part of the American Red Cross mission to provide mutual aid to emergency personnel during disaster-level incidents.  This support helps ensure that emergency personnel may stay focused on a disaster incident to protect lives and property.

Highlands Red Cross feeding crews at landfill fire

SEBRING, FL (JULY 24, 2009) – Local Red Cross volunteers are providing food for emergency personnel fighting a fire at the Highlands County Landfill on Arbuckle Creek Road.

Just before 6:30 a.m. Friday morning, the Highlands Red Cross office received a request for feeding at the fire. Volunteers deployed with food to feed breakfast to roughly 60 emergency personnel. Volunteers are preparing to provide lunch, if needed, to as many as 60-80 personnel.

It is part of the American Red Cross mission to provide mutual aid to emergency personnel during disaster-level incidents.  Red Cross volunteers will continue to provide support as the situation unfolds. For further information, please contact local Red Cross representatives or the Mid-Florida Region communications specialist.

Red Cross helps family in Wahneta after fire

WAHNETA, FL (July 24, 2009) – In the middle of the night, American Red Cross volunteers helped a family in Wahneta displaced when their mobile home caught fire.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter arrived at 1:15 a.m. to find a mobile home on Sixth Street East in Wahneta had caught fire, displacing a woman and a 12-year-old child.

Red Cross helps Bradley Junction family after fire destroys home

BRADLEY JUNCTION, FL (July 20, 2009) — Early in the morning on Monday, July 20, a fire destroyed a home in Bradley Junction and displaced a family of four.

They called the American Red Cross later that morning, and two volunteers arrived at 1:10 p.m. to help. Red Cross volunteers provided two adults and two children with temporary shelter, emergency assistance for groceries for all four, emergency assistance for clothing for the children, comfort kits (personal hygiene items), odor-control concentrate to help salvage items from the home, and two Mickey Mouse stuffed-animal toys to comfort the children.

Any disaster, large or small, can be devastating to a family. In the last 12 months, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has helped more than 190 families in Polk and Highlands Counties after local disasters, most of them home fires. Since then, the chapter has assisted another 13 families in the two counties. Please take every precaution and follow fire safety tips to prevent fires in your home, and please support your local Red Cross.

Learn to prevent fire from the Polk County Chapter at (863) 294-5941, visit http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org, or visit the American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region web site at www.midfloridaredcross.org.

Polk Red Cross helps Lake Wales family of six after fire

LAKE WALES, FL (July 17, 2009) — Late Friday night, American Red Cross volunteers helped a family of six, displaced by a home fire.

Volunteers arrived at 10:30 p.m., July 17, at the scene of a fire on Tindel Camp Road in Lake Wales, which had displaced one adult and five children. Volunteers provided the family with temporary shelter, emergency assistance for groceries and clothing, comfort kits (personal hygiene items), odor-control concentrate to help salvage items from the home, and six Red Cross T-shirts.

Any disaster, large or small, can be devastating to a family. This incident represented the third family affected by fire in two days in Polk County. In the last 12 months, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has helped more than 190 families in Polk and Highlands Counties after local disasters, most of them home fires. Please take every precaution and follow fire safety tips to prevent fires in your home, and please support your local Red Cross.

Learn to prevent fire from the Polk County Chapter at (863) 294-5941, visit http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org, or visit the American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region web site at www.midfloridaredcross.org.

Polk Red Cross helps Lakeland man after fire

LAKELAND, FL (July 16, 2009) – Fire destroyed the home of a Lakeland man on Thursday, but American Red Cross volunteers soon arrived to help.

Volunteers arrived at 9 p.m., July 16, at the scene on Venus Street in Lakeland. They provided the man with temporary shelter, emergency assistance for groceries, and a comfort kit (personal hygiene items).

Any disaster, large or small, can be devastating to a family. In the last 12 months, the American Red Cross Polk County Chapter has helped more than 190 families in Polk and Highlands Counties after local disasters, most of them home fires. Please take every precaution and follow fire safety tips to prevent fires in your home, and please support your local Red Cross.

Learn to prevent fire from the Polk County Chapter at (863) 294-5941, visit http://polkcountyfl.redcross.org, or visit the American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region web site at www.midfloridaredcross.org.