The American Red Cross, Southwestern NY Chapter, continues to offer assistance to those affected by the devastating floods which occurred last week in the Cattaraugus and Chautauqua County areas. The focus has now been transitioning to outreach and follow up to ensure every client receives the assistance necessary to face the worst disaster to hit SWNY in recent history.
On Monday, two Red Cross response cells were co-located with other assistance agencies to ensure any remaining walk-in clients were served. One Red Cross response cell was located at the Gowanda elementary school and continued to answer questions and refer disaster clients to the resources that can assist them. In Silver Creek a similar Red Cross response cell was located at Mount Carmel Catholic Church. The amount of walk-in client case work has dropped off significantly by early afternoon.
Thus far in the disaster relief effort, the American Red Cross, Southwestern NY Chapter has seen approximately 325 clients apply for disaster relief assistance. Over $32,000 in disaster relief financial assistance has been distributed, including over 450 clean-up kits, 100 comfort kits, and numerous contacts for mental health counseling. In addition, several home visits have been conducted to reach those who are unable to get to the local family assistance centers. Red Cross contact numbers for Chautauqua County residents is 664-5115. For Cattaraugus County clients the Red Cross contact number is 372-5800. The number for information and referrals is 2-1-1.
You can help people affected by disasters like the recent flooding by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
The Southwestern NY Chapter is a United Way Agency.
