From Oklahoma to Texas and Arkansas through south central Missouri, the American Red Cross has has a busy last two weeks.
Kim Mailes, public affairs manager for Disaster Relief Operation-811, said immediately after the storms that spawned tornadoes in Arkansas and a heavy windstorm in Cassville, the Red Cross got to work.
‘We set up Respite Centers in Cassville, and we would have done full shelters if it was necessary,’ Mailes said. ‘It was a place for people to get a hot meal, shower, charge devices and access resources. We also continued mobile disbursement of supplies and fixed-site delivery of supplies. A lot of that was comfort kits, stuff like toiletries, toothbrushes and personal items.’
Along with those items, the Red Cross supplies storage tubs to those needing to save items from the homes, as well as rakes, gloves, tarps and other cleanup tools.
‘We are still available for whatever people need,’ Mailes said. ‘We’ve brought in many volunteers from Arkansas and Oklahoma, but also from across the U.S.’
Volunteers have also been completing damage assessments throughout the county, providing vital information to help in recovery.
‘We’ve done 2,500 assessment throughout the whole disaster relief area,’ Mailes said. ‘We feed than information to FEMA and it helps us coordinate multi-agency resource centers. We did not have one in Cassville, but we did set those up in Rogers and Yellville in Arkansas.’
Mailes said the Red Cross relies heavily on volunteers — 90% of its workforce.
‘We had 129 volunteers on the ground on June 5,’ he said. ‘They’ve even coordinated debris removal in some cases.’
For those most affected, the Red Cross offers financial assistance, with no strings attached.
‘Individual assistance varies,’ Mailes said. ‘Those who get a disaster assessment are contacted by Red Cross. If anyone hasn’t received assistance and thinks they are eligible, contact 1-800-REDCROSS, or visit our website. Assistance can go to anything; we just issue cash. People know their needs better than us.’
Mailes said in these times, he’s thankful for the number of volunteers who give their time to the Red Cross.
‘We are grateful to the volunteers who drop everything and come running,’ he said. ‘They step up and take on the job, and we are very appreciative of them and of the donors who fund our efforts.’
