Bourbon County Red Cross ready to help in bad weather

The Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross is ready should the need arise for its services during inclement weather.

According to Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross Executive Secretary Whendi Martin, the agency is fully prepared should the need arise for an emergency shelter in Fort Scott. With hazardous weather creating havoc on other towns in Kansas in addition to Missouri, Martin has issued a call for all of her volunteers to remain in close contact with her in case the weather manages to work its way in to Bourbon County.

A news release from the American Red Cross said, "officials in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma have declared states of emergency, while more winter weather remains in the forecast," the statement said.

According to the written statement, about 5,000 Kansas residents are without power. Kansas Chapters of the American Red Cross have readied supplies and opened two shelters in the state.

Martin said that she sent three volunteers to Columbus to work in the Red Cross Shelter that was opened in order to give aid to families affected by the winter storm. One of the volunteers who agreed to spend a few days helping in the Columbus shelter, was volunteering in the shelter on his wife's birthday. Martin said that this volunteer was unable to get through to his wife on the phone, so he asked Martin to tell her happy birthday for him. The first group of volunteers were scheduled to return to Fort Scott on Wednesday, and Martin said that she already had replacements ready to travel to Coffeyville if needed.

According to Martin, the Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross has many volunteers who make giving aid possible. A special group of volunteers with the Red Cross is the Disaster Response Team. She said that all of the volunteers on this team have gone through disaster response training. This training not only makes the volunteers more able to assist in times of crisis, but since all Red Cross Disaster Response volunteers undergo the same training, volunteers can join together all over the United States providing help without there being a lot of confusion due to different chapters doing things differently. They are all taught the same procedures, Martin said.

Martin advises Bourbon County residence to prepare in case of an emergency by gathering at least three days worth of non-perishable food items and bottled water. Also, she said that it is a good idea to have extra pillows and blankets ready in the event that a stay at a shelter is necessary.

According to Martin, if a family or individual loses electrical power at their place of residence, the first thing that those involved should do is contact their electrical provider to make sure that there really is an electrical outage in the area. If a phone call to the electrical provider does not remedy the situation, and the family does not have anyway to keep warm, Martin said that the next phone call made should be to the local law enforcement agency. The police and sheriff departments will in turn contact the Emergency Management's office. Martin said that Emergency Management's office will notify the Red Cross should the need arise to open an emergency shelter.

Martin said that although many local residents have offered to make material donations of pillows, blankets, etc., because of lack of storage space, Martin has to refuse these donations. She said the thing that local residents can do to help is to offer monetary gifts. Martin also said that she would love to visit with anyone who may be interested in volunteering some time to help the Red Cross. Since training may be necessary for those who wish to volunteer, Martin said that those interested in volunteering their time must visit with her first; they cannot just show up to help at an emergency.

According to a written document provided by the American Red Cross, people have been receiving aid from the Red Cross since 1881.

"Since 1881, people have turned to the American Red Cross for emergency services. Today, 1.2 million trained and dedicated American Red Cross volunteers, young and old, are helping their neighbors across the country everyday. . .They are at the scene of more than 40,000 disasters a year, from house fires to devastating floods and tornadoes," the statement said.

The Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross is partially funded through United Way of Bourbon County funds. To make a donation to the United Way or the American Red Cross contact Martin at (620) 223-0980.