Wildfires, thunderstorms and certainly tornadoes are all common occurrences across the states of Texas and Oklahoma. That’s why it’s imperative that the American Red Cross, an organization responsible for bringing comfort to Mother Nature’s victims, is as prepared as possible in advance of any unexpected event. On Saturday, March 2, 2013, for the first-time ever, more than 40 Red Cross chapters across all of Texas and Oklahoma will join forces and simultaneously test their ability to respond to a simulated devastating tornado outbreak.
The role of the more than 700 disaster assessment volunteers will be to determine the types of residential damage caused by the mock tornado outbreak. Throughout the multi-state exercise, volunteers will approach specific pre-selected neighborhoods. On stakes that will be inserted into the ground, the volunteer will have a visual image of a home that has been impacted. They will have to determine the type of damage and then relay that information back to Red Cross officials. This important step is the catalyst to all Red Cross services.
“It’s critical that we have an accurate assessment of impacted homes as quickly as possible,” said Janet Karcher, American Red Cross West Central Texas Chapter Executive. “That step tells us how many meals need to be prepared, how many volunteers need to be activated, how many shovels and rakes we need to have on hand and so much more. It drives the entire Red Cross response.”
In West Central Texas, volunteers will report to the American Red Cross, 600 E. Adams St., Brownwood, TX 76801 at 8:15 a.m. The drill is expected to last until 12:00 noon.
“Without question, this drill will help the Red Cross be better prepared for future disasters”, said Karcher. “We saw with the outbreaks in DFW and Woodward, Oklahoma last year that disasters can and do affect both of our states. The more we train through exercises like this one, the better we can help our neighbors when they truly need us.”
For information on becoming a trained Red Cross volunteer, go to www.redcross.org/sanangelo.
