Local Red Cross dispatching volunteers to tornado recovery
BY MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer
Thursday, April 28, 2011
4/28/11 at 1:56 PM
Related story: Tornadoes devastate South, killing at least 215
The Tulsa Area Red Cross will be dispatching volunteers to assist with recovery relief in the tornado-ravaged areas of the south.
“The situation remains fluid, but we have confirmed that one individual volunteer and two teams of volunteers will deploy from the Tulsa Area Chapter to assist with tornado relief operations in Alabama and/or Mississippi. Their exact destination remains to be determined,” said Donita Quesnel, spokeswoman. “We’re making travel arrangements now.”
The volunteer teams will drive two of Tulsa Chapter’s emergency response vehicles to the relief operations in the affected areas. The vehicles are traditionally used to deliver meals and supplies to residents in hard-hit areas.
Quesnel said all the volunteers being deployed have extensive experience responding to large disasters. Some have responded to past national disasters including Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires.
Nationally, about 40 emergency response vehicles have been deployed to assist with feeding displaced individuals and distributing cleanup kits, she said.
Quesnel said financial donations to the Red Cross are encouraged.
“Red Cross is recognized and reputable so you can be assured the money is going to people in need and you can make secure donations on our Web site,” she said. “Financial donations allow the Red Cross to put those funds to work where they are needed. They can go a long way to helping people in need.”
Online donations can be made at tulsaworld.com/redcross.
Donations can also be mailed to: American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter, Dept. 995, Tulsa, Ok., 74128.
