The American Red Cross in Greater New York (ARC/GNY) shifted all operations for Orange and Sullivan County to Livingston Manor (Sullivan County) on July 3. Livingston Manor is one of the communities most seriously affected by severe weather and flooding that occurred last week. ARC/GNY is offering various services to help residents with temporary housing, food and other issues.

The latest update as of 8 a.m., July 5, 2006:

• ARC/GNY operations, including the chapter's Mobile Command Center, relocated from the Monticello Community Center (2 Jefferson Street in Monticello) to the Livingston Manor Public School (19 School Street) on July 3. The Mobile Command Center is a state-of-the-art vehicle customized to meet the unique disaster response requirements of the Greater New York area. It serves as the chapter's Emergency Operations and Communications Center in the field. From this new location, ARC/GNY is directing services for all residents of the area and continues to coordinate activities with various county, state and federal organizations.
  
• Residents who require assistance are encouraged to meet with the Red Cross. Residents can meet client services field teams as these teams travel to various communities, or they can meet with Red Cross staff members at the Livingston Manor Public School, or they can call 1-877-RED-CROSS for assistance.
  
• On Wednesday, June 28, volunteers and staff from the American Red Cross in Greater New York (ARC/GNY) were deployed to Sullivan and Orange Counties to provide shelter to residents who evacuated from their homes as a result of flooding in those areas. ARC/GNY sheltered 1,820 people in five  shelters of various sizes for two nights. By Friday evening, residents had returned to their homes, or they were provided alternative temporary housing by ARC/GNY.
  
• Since this relief operation began, ARC/GNY has deployed hundreds of workers into the field to provide mass care and client services to residents of these two affected counties. Caseworkers have been conducting team outreach to provide services to families in the communities. Emergency response vehicles have been delivering hot meals, water, ice, ice chests and clean up supplies to residents at their homes. To date, more than 4,000 hot meals, non-kosher and kosher, have been delivered. More than 400 damage assessments have been completed, principally in Livingston Manor, Roscoe and Port Jervis.
  
• ARC/GNY is supporting the Red Cross chapter that operates in Delaware County, providing damage assessment and bulk distribution of supplies. The chapter also continues to support initiatives managed in Binghamton, New York.

To help those affected by the flooding in Orange and Sullivan Counties, financial contributions can be made to the American Red Cross in Greater New York by calling 1-877 RED CROSS, or online at www.nyredcross.org.

Learn how to be more prepared with our online Flooding Safety Guide.