March 19: Red Cross Opens Shelters Across NYS to Test Disaster Readiness
Posted by Dustin Horton // March 17, 2011 // News
The American Red Cross will open shelters across New York State on Saturday, March 19, to celebrate March as Red Cross Month and to offer its volunteers a training opportunity. Each of the 31 Red Cross chapters in New York State will be performing sheltering activity. In the South Central NY Region, a shelter will open in each of the ten counties served by the Red Cross. The full list of locations is below.
The exercise will begin at approximately 9:00 am and last until 1:00 pm. Volunteers will go through the same procedures as they would during a real disaster incident. Community members are invited to visit a shelter location to learn more about the Red Cross and its mass care services.
The Red Cross has also invited the local Amateur Radio operators group to participate. A test of statewide communication capability will be performed.
In the past week, the American Red Cross had dozens of shelters open or on standby in NYS due to the threat of flooding. The Red Cross responded to almost 4,000 disasters in New York State last year and provided assistance to more than 5,000 families.
The South Central NY Region includes the counties of:
- Broome
- Chemung
- Chenango
- Cortland
- Delaware
- Otsego
- Schuyler
- Steuben
- Tioga
- Tompkins
The shelters for each county will be located at:
- Broome County Endwell Fire Station
- Chemung County Big Flats Community Center
- Chenango County Plymouth Fire Station
- Cortland County Cortland County Office Building
- Delaware County Delhi American Legion Hall
- Otsego County Salvation Army facility
- Schuyler County Watkins Glen High School
- Steuben County South Corning Town Hall
- Tioga County St. Mary Margaret Catholic Church
- Tompkins County BOCES Smith School Facility
About the American Red Cross:
Your American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.1redcross.org.
