ARC/GNY Mobile Command Vehicle Dedication

ARC/GNY CEO Terry Bischoff and New York City Council Speaker Gifford Miller celebrated the dedication of the Greater New York Chapter's Mobile Command Center vehicle at City Hall on January 13. The impressive state-of-the-art vehicle is equipped with the latest technology that enables responders to help New Yorkers more effectively at the scene of disasters.

Chapter Responds to Worst Floods in Sullivan and Orange Counties in 50 Years

Approximately 40 Greater New York Red Cross workers from the Orange-Sullivan area, as well as Westchester and Putnam Counties and New York City, participated in a ten-day flood relief operation that began Friday, April 1.  In one of the largest flood relief efforts in five decades, hundreds of Red Cross staff and volunteers across the state helped thousands of victims by:

• Sheltering more than 790 people
• Distributing nearly 5,100 meals
• Completing 455 mental health contacts
• Providing 1,125 clean up kits and 927 comfort kits
• Providing emergency assistance, including temporary housing, food, clothing, cleaning supplies and emotional support. 

Red Cross staff and volunteers also conducted door-to-door outreach and worked with more than 800 families. In addition, family caseworkers and disaster relief volunteers provided Red Cross clean-up kits and disaster relief supplies. As residents began to return home, arrangements were made to ensure those still in need of assistance with necessities such as food, clothing and medication had access to further Red Cross aid.

American Red Cross Receives $1 Million from New York State to Help Flood Victims

ARC/GNY, on behalf of the Red Cross chapters in 14 affected counties, received a special $1 million appropriation from New York State on to provide immediate relief to victims of April's heavy storms and floods. The appropriation enabled the Red Cross to provide such critical needs as food, shelter, clothing and mental health assistance for thousands of affected residents.

Washington Heights Wall Collapse

ARC/GNY staff and volunteers provided emergency support including mental health counseling, temporary shelter, hot meals and logistical support to residents affected by the collapse of the retaining wall at West 181^st Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan the afternoon of May 12. A Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) arrived immediately with Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) and quickly provided emergency aid on-site, registering 77 affected individuals for Red Cross assistance. A Reception Center was set up at PS 187 (349 Cabrini Boulevard) where clients were served hot meals and snacks. Three families were provided with emergency overnight housing.  Twenty-six Red Cross disaster-trained workers and volunteers, including damage assessment experts and family caseworkers, provided support to those affected.

AUGUST 2005 TO NOVEMBER 2005 - HURRICANE KATRINA RESPONSE

In the days and weeks after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, dedicated local volunteers played a crucial role in the New York Chapter"s disaster response. Not only did they staff phones, train new volunteers, and help families that fled the South and came to New York, they also stepped up to help storm survivors at Red Cross shelters in the Gulf States.

The Greater New York Chapter Katrina Relief Effort:

The Hurricane Call Center

• More than 700 new volunteer trainees handled more than 19,300 calls to 1-866-GET INFO, the national American Red Cross emergency hotline
• The Call Center was open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week between August 28 and October 29
• An initial 10 stations on-site were expanded to 19 stations off-site to meet the high demand

Help For Katrina Families in New York

• More than 1,760 families from the Gulf Coast registered with ARC/GNY and received Red Cross family assistance here in New York
• Volunteers staffed NYC’s Hurricane Welcome Center and Disaster Assistance Service Center (DASC) each day for more than two months
• More than 400 Katrina evacuees were housed for up to three months in Red Cross arranged hotel rooms in New York City  
• ARC/GNY provided three meals a day and ongoing mental health counseling to Katrina evacuees in hotels for months after the disaster

Disaster Service Training – one of the most ambitious training programs ever in New York

• The Chapter exceeded the training goal assigned by the national Red Cross and recruited and prepared 2,513 new Disaster Service Volunteers for potential deployment to national disasters and emergencies here in New York
• More than 2,000 spontaneous volunteers took Greater New York Chapter "Introduction to Disaster Services” classes, offered in every borough and county we serve
• Hundreds more took additional Disaster Service Training in everything from “Client Services” to “Disaster Assessment”

Deployment to the Gulf Coast
More than 250 NY Chapter Responders served in the Gulf Coast, including: 

• Previously-trained disaster volunteers and staff responders
• DART (Disaster Action Rescue Teams) that traveled together as units
• 150 new volunteers

Service Support

• Volunteers staffed the Welcome Desk in the lobby of Chapter Headquarters in Manhattan, where they distributed hurricane relief information and collected in-person donations from generous New Yorkers
• Volunteers also staffed a phone bank, spoke to people interested in volunteering, and called potential volunteers to set up appointments
• Volunteers assisted in a variety of areas under financial development, including helping to process contributions

National Katrina Response. The Red Cross:

• Provided more than $1.3 billion in emergency financial assistance to meet urgent needs to more than 1.2 million families or more than 3.7 million people.
• Provided 3.4 million overnight stays to survivors of Katrina and Rita in nearly 1,100 shelters and evacuation centers across 27 states.
• In coordination with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Red Cross served more than 27.2 million hot meals and 24.8 million snacks.
•  For Hurricane Wilma – The Red Cross provided more than 69,000 overnight stays in more than 100 shelters to people affected by Wilma, served more than 3.6 million meals and 2.3 million snacks.

Greater New York Chapter Honors Former President Bill Clinton at Centennial Celebration Gala

On the evening of October 20, The American Red Cross in Greater New York celebrated its 100th Anniversary and honored former President William J. Clinton at a gala Centennial Celebration Ball in the World Financial Center Winter Garden in lower Manhattan. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show” spoke at the event, which featured a special performance by critically acclaimed jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and Grammy winner Paula Cole.  The celebration, which included silent and live auctions, raised more than $2.3 million for the Chapter.

Three-day NYC Transit Strike

During the New York City transit strike, from Tuesday, December 20 through Thursday, December 22, 2005, three Greater New York Chapter Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) positioned at the foot of the Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Queensboro Bridges each morning and each evening, served coffee and hot chocolate, cookies, and Granola bars to more than 33,000 cold, footsore commuters trekking to and from work in freezing temperatures, revitalizing both their spirits and their energy.

Hundreds of volunteers made their way to and from Chapter headquarters at Amsterdam Avenue and the East River crossings in frigid pre-dawn darkness and biting nighttime cold to clean, stock and staff ERVs. They maintained a bright, upbeat, professional attitude, which helped cheer commuters. At the beginning of the strike, the Chapter deployed response ERVs to the outer boroughs on a standby basis in order to quickly and efficiently answer emergency calls.