• Thursday, Oct. 2; 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. First Aid, $35

• Thursday, Oct. 9; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  CPR/AED - Adult and Child (plus Infant CPR), $50

• Saturday, Oct. 11; 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Standard First Aid with CPR/AED - Adult ($55)

• Saturday, Oct. 11; 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.  CPR/AED Adult $40 (At PNC Bank location in North Hills). $40

• Thursday, Oct. 16; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Standard First Aid with CPR/AED - Adult and Child (plus Infant CPR), $60

• Saturday, Oct. 18; 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Babysitter’s Training; $40

• Tuesday, Oct. 21; 6 to 10:30 p.m.  CPR/AED Adult, $40

• Thursday, Oct. 23; 8:00 a.m. 6 p.m.  CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer $75

• Thursday, Oct. 23; 6 to 10 p.m. First Aid, $35

• Tuesday, Oct. 7; 5:30 to 10 p.m.; CPR/AED (Adult), $35

• Saturday, Oct. 11; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Standard First Aid with CPR/AED (Adult), $50

• Saturday, Oct. 14; 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; First Aid, $35

• Saturday, Oct. 18; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Babysitter’s Training, $40

• Saturday, Oct. 4; 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Babysitter’s Training, $40

• Wednesday, Oct. 8; (5:30 to 10 p.m.) and Thursday, Oct. 9 (5:30 to 9:30 p.m.); Standard First Aid with CPR/AED - Adult. Must attend both days for certification.

• Wednesday, Oct. 8; 5:30 to 10 p.m. CPR/AED - Adult, $35

• Thursday, Oct. 9; 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. First Aid, $35

• Water  (one gallon per family member per day, to last 3 days)

• Manual can opener and ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables

• Flashlight (and extra batteries)

• First Aid Kit

• Battery-powered radio

• Clothing (sturdy shoes, rain gear, hat, gloves)

• Cash or traveler’s checks

• If necessary, special items for infants, elderly family members, and pets   

• The Red Cross has served more than 1.4 million meals to victims of the hurricanes since Gustav struck three weeks ago.

• Approximately 14,000 people currently remain in Red Cross shelters in Texas and Louisiana.

• More than 200 Red Cross response vehicles are in the region to provide mobile feeding services.

• A total of approximately 7,500 Red Cross disaster workers are currently on the ground in the region offering food, shelter and emotional support to the victims.

• The local Red Cross has deployed a total of 17 disaster workers and one Emergency Response vehicle to hurricane relief operations in the past three weeks.

• Visit us online at swpa.redcross.org

• Call us at 1-888-217-9599

• By texting the word “Give” to “2HELP” (24357), you can donate $5 to the Disaster Relief Fund; charges will be applied on your cell phone bill.

• Volunteer Robert Cherry of Finleyville was deployed today to Texas.  He will be working in a Red Cross shelter.

• Volunteer Louis Lantzy of Turtle Creek will leave for Baton Rouge, La., on Wednesday afternoon.  He will be working to coordinate Red Cross assistance with disaster victims.

• Staff Member Steve Noe of Canonsburg will deploy to Baton Rouge, La., on Wednesday morning.  He will be serving in mass care/feeding supervision and management.

PITTSBURGH - Tens of thousands of people across Southwestern Pennsylvania are feeling the effects of intense winds and experiencing, first-hand, the difficulties of living without electrical power. Now imagine that hardship intensified a hundred times over.

More than a million people are without power in Texas and the Gulf Coast region due to the destruction of Hurricane Ike, which roared ashore Friday night. The American Red Cross is out in force, providing food, shelter and emotional support to those whose lives have been devastated.

Nearly 20,000 people remain in more than 160 Red Cross shelters throughout the region as they await word from local government that is safe to return home.

Additionally, thousands remain missing in the region; while search and rescue is a mission of the government and first responders such as police and firefighting officials, the Red Cross is ready to accept those rescued into our shelters.

The Red Cross is also continuing with its massive Hurricane Gustav relief operation in Louisiana and the surrounding region; it is now difficult to draw a line between the Gustav - which struck the region two weeks ago - and Ike relief operations because many areas devastated by Gustav are again being affected by Ike.

Below is a list of facts regarding the Red Cross response to hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

• The Red Cross now has more than 2,100 volunteers and staff on the ground in Texas to assist with Hurricane Ike and more than 1,900 in Louisiana to assist with Ike and Gustav.

• In the past 24 hours, the Red Cross has served more than 68,000 meals to those affected by the hurricanes. Since the onset of Hurricane Gustav, the Red Cross has served a total of more than 1.3 million meals.

• More than 120 Red Cross mobile feeding vehicles - including one from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter - are in the region.

• The Red Cross has more than one million shelf-stable meals on-hand and the capacity to serve 500,000 meals per day.

• Tens-of-thousands of cots, blankets and comfort kits (containing basic sanitary supplies) are in the region.

• The Red Cross is moving numerous blood units into North Texas to help address possible medical needs resulting from the catastrophic storm.

• Locally, 14 volunteers from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter have been deployed to the region since the onset of Hurricane Gustav; 12 local volunteers are currently in the region assisting with hurricane relief operations (four in Texas, six in Louisiana and two in Mississippi).

Local individuals wondering about the well-being of loved ones in the region can visit redcross.org to see if their loved ones have registered with the Red Cross Safe and Well program. 

DONATION/VOLUNTEER INFO: The American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund has been depleted due to a record number of tornados this year, the worst flooding in the Midwest in 15 years, an early wildfire season and relentless hurricane season, including Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

However, due in part to the unfortunate misconceptions about the extent of the damage of these storms and other disasters, donations are not keeping pace with the disasters. The Red Cross estimates it will spend between $40-$70 million on Gustav relief efforts, alone, yet only a faction of that has been raised; the projected cost of Ike recovery operations is not yet available.

The American Red Cross is not a government agency; we rely on the donations of private individuals and companies to fund disaster relief operations. To make a donation or for more information, visit swpa.redcross.org  or call 1-888-217-9599.  

Additionally, the Red Cross has set up its “Give 2 Help” text message donation program. By simply texting the word “Give” to “2HELP” (24357), you can donate $5 to the Disaster Relief Fund; charges will be applied on your cell phone bill.

For information on becoming a volunteer, click here or call 412-263-3100.


MEDIA INFO:  The Red Cross has launched an online newsroom  - hurricaneike.wordpress.com - to keep the news media informed about current relief operations underway in communities affected by the hurricanes.  The web sites are updated daily with timely information on Red Cross relief operations.

Media are invited to download photos, B-roll footage and audio from the web sites. When using a photo, please credit “American Red Cross.”  Video is bugged in the upper right corner and does not require a credit.

Downloadable video files of Red Cross services and disaster workers in the affected areas are also available here.  Downloadable public service announcements are available here.

PITTSBURGH - As people in Texas and the entire Gulf Coast region attempt to put their lives back together following the destruction of Hurricane Ike, the American Red Cross is there, offering assistance with food, shelter and emotional support.

On Friday night, as Hurricane Ike was making landfall, more than 20,000 people stayed in Red Cross Shelters in four states in the Gulf Coast region.

Additionally, thousands remain missing in the region; while search and rescue is a mission of the government and first responders such as police and firefighting officials, the Red Cross is ready to accept those rescued into our evacuation shelters.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross is also continuing with its massive Hurricane Gustav relief operation in Louisiana and the surrounding region. Despite the perception that Louisiana “dodged a bullet” because Gustav was not as destructive as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the fact remains that Gustav was an enormous national disaster and, as a result, necessitated an enormous Red Cross response.  Additionally, it is now difficult to draw a line between the Gustav and Ike relief operations because many areas flooded by Gustav are again being flooded by Ike.

Below is a list of facts regarding the Red Cross response to hurricanes Ike and Gustav:

• The Red Cross now has 2,100 volunteers and staff on the ground in Texas to assist with Hurricane Ike and 1,900 in Louisiana to assist with Ike and Gustav.

• The Red Cross has already served more than 35,000 meals to those affected by Ike in Texas and more than 720,000 m eals to those affected by Ike and Gustav in Louisiana.  

• More than 120 Red Cross mobile feeding vehicles - including one from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter - are in the region.

• The Red Cross has more than one million shelf-stable meals on-hand.

• The Red Cross is planning to prepare a capacity of 500,000 meals per day in 25-30 kitchens.

• Tens-of-thousands of cots, blankets and comfort kits (containing basic sanitary supplies) are in the region.

• The Red Cross is moving numerous blood units into North Texas to help address possible medical needs resulting from the catastrophic storm.

• Locally, 12 volunteers from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter are in the region assisting with hurricane relief operations (four in Texas, five in Louisiana and three in Mississippi).

• Local individuals wondering about the well-being of loved ones in the region can visit redcross.org to see if their loved ones have registered with the Red Cross Safe and Well program.
  
  

• More than 100 Red Cross mobile feeding vehicles - including one from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter - are pre-positioned in Texas.

• The Red Cross has more than one million shelf-stable meals currently in Texas.

• The Red Cross is planning to prepare a capacity of 500,000 meals per day, if need be.

• Tens-of-thousands of cots, blankets and comfort kits (containing basic sanitary supplies) are in place in Texas.

• The Red Cross is moving numerous blood units into North Texas in anticipation of Ike.

PITTSBURGH - In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, the American Red Cross continues to mount a massive relief effort in the Gulf Coast region while simultaneously preparing for Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike.

The Red Cross is currently positioning personnel and equipment in areas projected to be affected by Hanna (the Southeast Coast) and Ike (Florida).  As a result, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter will deploy Rich Browning of Allison Park to Florida on Sunday as part of Hurricane Ike relief efforts; Browning will assist with operating Red Cross shelters. The deployment is expected to last two-to-three weeks.

Browning, who has been a volunteer with the Red Cross for 10 years, has been on more than 20 national deployments.  He is the first local volunteer deployed to assist with Hurricane Ike; 12 local volunteers are currently deployed to the Gulf Coast region and are assisting with Hurricane Gustav relief operations.

Despite the perception that the Gulf Coast was not heavily affected by Gustav, the Red Cross continues to mount a massive relief operation in the region due to the substantial damage caused by the storm.  As of Friday, approximately 24,000 people remained in Red Cross shelters in the region and as many as 800,000 people are expected to be without power for two-to-eight weeks, thanks to Gustav.

Via kitchens, shelters and more than 200 mobile feeding units (including the local chapter’s Emergency Response Vehicle), the Red Cross is working to feed individuals without food or power and those still unable to return home. In total, the Red Cross is preparing to provide more than 400,000 meals per day in the region.

A total of more than 5,000 Red Cross staff and volunteers - including 12 volunteers from the local chapter - are assisting in all aspects of Gustav relief.  The Red Cross is expecting to spend between $40 and $70 million on the Gustav relief operation, alone.

Locally, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter has deployed 12 volunteers to assist with Gustav, and all 12 remain the region assisting with various areas of the disaster relief operation.

Volunteers from the local chapter assisting with Gustav include Cindy Chmel (Claysville), Theresa Creighan (Oakmont), Joe Korinchak (Gibsonia), Bruce Kunkel (West Mifflin), Daniel Lopes (Fayette City), Lou Luangkesorn (Wexford), Karen Miller (Pittsburgh), John Mitchell (Baldwin), Tom Palmquist (Bethel Park), Jim Robertson (Franklin Park), Barbara Seibert (Monroeville) and Karen Skertich (Glenshaw).

DONATION/VOLUNTEER INFO: The American Red Cross is not a government agency; we rely on the donations of private individuals and companies to fund disaster relief operations. To make a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, click here or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Additionally, the Red Cross has set up its “Give 2 Help” text message donation program. By simply texting the word “Give” to “2HELP” (24357), you can donate $5 to the Disaster Relief Fund; charges will be applied on your cell phone bill.

All donations will help the Red Cross purchase food, cots, blankets, toiletries, cleanup supplies as well as operate shelters and provide meals to evacuees and victims.

For information on becoming a volunteer, click here or call 412-263-3100.
 

MEDIA INFO:  The Red Cross has launched two online newsrooms - hurricaneike.wordpress.com and hurricanegustav.wordpress.com - to keep the news media informed about current relief operations underway in communities affected by the hurricanes.  The web sites are updated daily with timely information on Red Cross relief operations.

Media are invited to download photos, B-roll footage and audio from the web sites. When using a photo, please credit “American Red Cross.”  Video is bugged in the upper right corner and does not require a credit.

Downloadable video files of Red Cross services and disaster workers in the affected areas are also available here. Downloadable public service announcements are available here.

PITTSBURGH - As the American Red Cross continues to help residents of the Gulf Coast region recover from Hurricane Gustav and brace for three additional tropical storms currently headed for the U.S., the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter continues to lend its support.

The local chapter deployed two volunteers to Hattiesburg, Miss., on Thursday, bringing the total number of local volunteers sent to the Hurricane-stricken region to 12.

Karen Skertich of Glenshaw will work in mass care - feeding, while Bruce Kunkel of West Mifflin will work in mass care - bulk distribution.

While Gustav has not caused as much damage as Hurricane Katrina, which struck the same region in 2005, the Gustav recovery operation remains massive.  Nearly 34,000 people remained in Red Cross shelters in 12 states last night due to Gustav damage; the Red Cross estimates it will spend between $20-$35 million supporting the people of the Gulf Coast affected by Gustav.

Additionally, the peak of hurricane season is only beginning, and currently, the Red Cross is preparing for additional potentially-destructive storms. Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to hit the country’s southeast coast this weekend; Hurricane Ike and Tropical Storm Josephine remain in the Atlantic, but could also pose a threat in the days to come.

“When viewing our current disaster relief operations, it’s important to note that our attention isn’t just on the Gustav relief efforts, but the potential sum total damage that could result from all four of these storms,” said Michael Adametz, Emergency Services Director for the local Red Cross.  “The Red Cross is still in the midst of a massive relief operation from Hurricane Gustav, a major disaster in its own right.  But with so many storms potentially striking the country in such a short amount of time, there remains a great need for volunteers and donations.”

Additional volunteers from the local chapter already deployed to Gustav include Cindy Chmel (Claysville), Theresa Creighan (Oakmont), Joe Korinchak (Gibsonia), Daniel Lopes (Fayette City), Lou Luangkesorn (Wexford), Karen Miller (Pittsburgh), John Mitchell (Baldwin), Tom Palmquist (Bethel Park), Jim Robertson (Franklin Park) and Barbara Seibert (Monroeville).

DONATION INFO: The American Red Cross is not a government agency; we rely on the donations of private individuals and companies to fund disaster relief operations. To make a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Additionally, the Red Cross has set up its “Give 2 Help” text message donation program. By simply texting the word “Give” to “2HELP” (24357), you can donate $5 to the Disaster Relief Fund; charges will be applied on your cell phone bill.

For information on becoming a volunteer, visit swpa.redcross.org or call 412-263-3100.

PITTSBURGH - James Robertson of Franklin Park is one of the American Red Cross Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter’s foremost experts on disaster assessment. The volunteer frequently leads disaster assessment teams during local emergencies, and even travels throughout northeast teaching disaster assessment courses to other Red Cross volunteers.

Now, he will lend his expertise to the Hurricane Gustav relief efforts. Robertson was deployed to the Gulf Coast region today, making him the 10th volunteer from the local chapter to go to hurricane-stricken area.

Robertson will work on the new Red Cross Quick Assessment Team, which uses hand-held GPS devices to speed up the disaster assessment process and, in turn, get disaster victims the help they need more quickly.

In the traditional disaster assessment method, volunteers inspect damaged homes then fill out paperwork which is processed later in the day. The data is then entered into computers and subsequently examined by Red Cross officials who can decide what type of assistance is needed most and in what areas.

Using GPS technology, the Quick Assessment Team is able to transmit disaster assessment data to Red Cross officials across the country instantaneously.

Robertson, who joined the Red Cross as a volunteer following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is a retired engineer, so he is no stranger to technology.  He views the Quick Assessment Team as an innovative way to rapidly get victims the help they need.

“I was at the point where I was retired, so I wanted to find out what I could do to help,” he said of his decision to join the Red Cross. “I gravitated toward the Disaster Assessment side of things.”

This is the first time Robertson has deployed to a national disaster outside of the Pittsburgh area.  He will fly into Biloxi, Miss., today; from there, Red Cross officials on the scene will determine where his services will be needed.

Robertson joins fellow local volunteers Cindy Chmel (Claysville), Theresa Creighan (Oakmont), Joe Korinchak (Gibsonia), Daniel Lopes (Fayette City), Lou Luangkesorn (Wexford), Karen Miller (Pittsburgh), John Mitchell (Baldwin), Tom Palmquist (Bethel Park) and Barbara Seibert (Monroeville) who are already deployed in the Gulf Coast region.

The Red Cross response to Gustav has already been extensive, and relief operations will continue as thousands of residents will remain in Red Cross shelters until they are free to return to their homes safely. The Red Cross estimates it will spend between $20-$35 million assisting the people affected by Gustav.

Additionally, three other tropical storms are currently at sea and could hit the U.S soon.  Tropical Storm Hanna could hit the country’s southeast coast by Friday, while Tropical Storm Ike and Tropical Storm Josephine could also hit next week.

DONATION INFO: The American Red Cross is not a government agency; we rely on the donations of private individuals and companies to fund disaster relief operations. To make a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Additionally, the Red Cross has set up its “Give 2 Help” text message donation program. By simply texting the word “Give” to “2HELP” (24357), you can donate $5 to the Disaster Relief Fund; charges will be applied on your cell phone bill.

For information on becoming a volunteer, visit swpa.redcross.org or call 412-263-3100.

• As of midnight Monday, nearly 60,000 people had spent the night in Red Cross Shelters in 10 states.

• During the first two nights of Gustav (Sunday and Monday), more people stayed in Red Cross shelters than the first two nights of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

• More than 3,000 Red Cross workers and volunteers, along with more than 200 mobile feeding trucks, are currently in the Gulf Coast region assisting with Gustav relief operations.

• Locally, nine volunteers from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Chapter have deployed to Gustav, with a 10th - Franklin Park’s Jim Robertson - expected to deploy Wednesday.

• The Red Cross has enough shelter supplies - including cots, blankets, ready-to-eat meals and comfort kits containing basic sanitary supplies - in the area to shelter 500,000 residents for six days.

• Gustav relief operations have already cost the Red Cross about $20 million. With shelters expected to remain open for days, and with the potential of more flooding and additional tropical storms/hurricanes, the cost will surely increase.

• The American Red Cross is not a government agency; we rely on the donations of private individuals and companies to fund disaster relief operations.