Spotlight
Communities Get "Alaska Ready" with Local Disaster Trainings
-Margo Williams, Public Affairs Intern
Alaska Ready, an American Red Cross of Alaska program generously funded by BP that kicked off in July 2008, is aimed at generating communities in the state that are more resilient and prepared to deal with local disasters. Not only is the Red Cross working to increase its capacity 
by training volunteers, but also to increase preparedness within Alaskan communities by developing partnerships with State, city, and borough health clinics; identified shelters within the communities; and other volunteer organizations.
In the program, volunteers are trained in courses such as Fulfilling Our Mission, Client Casework, and Shelter Operations so that they have the tools to be able to respond and react in the Red Cross way. Alaska Ready lets us access some of the more remote regions of our state and help them establish Disaster Action Teams (DATs). DATs are teams of volunteers who serve as the first humanitarian responders on the scene of a disaster. They are the people who are there immediately for families during the worst of their days, providing comfort, food, clothing and support.
Alaska Ready on the Kenai Peninsula
Earlier this year, 52 Kenai Peninsula residents participated in Alaska Ready training, many of whom joined their local DAT. Seward, Homer, and Soldotna/Kenai now have 3 teams with a total of 36 DAT volunteers ready to respond in their community. So far in 2009, DAT volunteers on the Kenai Peninsula provided Red Cross assistance totaling over $14,000 to 23 families.
Alaska Ready trainees were able to put their skills to work as they responded to a Homer wildfire that forced 40 people from their homes in May. During the worst spring break-up flooding in recent history for many communities along the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, the Red Cross was already very busy with response to the flooding. With many volunteers working in the office and many out in the flooded communities, the Red Cross was able to rely on the volunteers recently trained in the Homer and Soldotna areas who were ready and willing to open a shelter during the wildfire. This marks the first disaster response by Alaska Ready trained volunteers that operated without direct involvement from Red Cross headquarters. The volunteers secured a shelter site by working with the Kenai Peninsula Borough Emergency Management as well as the School District and organized a plan for food and care.
Dan Deveraux was one of the recently trained Red Cross volunteers to respond to the Homer wildfire and set up the shelter. Dan had just taken part in Alaska Ready in April in Soldotna. Retired, Dan decided to volunteer in the community in order to do something constructive and fulfilling with his time. A member of the Community Response Team, Dan was already involved in disaster response but decided to be trained by the Red Cross to expand his training and knowledge. “I want to be a resource that you can call on at any time and I can help,” said Dan.
Communities Trained
Future Trainings
September will mark another Alaska Ready training session, this time held in Wasilla. The American Red Cross of Alaska will be holding a two-part Supervisor Training course designed to train volunteers in rural communities and locations previously contacted and/or trained by the Red Cross, as well as new contacts from nearby areas. The course will feature an instruction section as well as an exercise to accompany the training. Thanks to a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, the Red Cross is able to fly in volunteers from across the state to participate in the training. 20 volunteers are expected to attend, 10 of which will be flown in from rural areas.
Next year the Red Cross plans to strengthen established partnerships by participating in trainings held in various communities. By strengthening our partnerships with Alaskans all over the state, the American Red Cross of Alaska hopes to extend its presence, and support, throughout the state.
Learn more about how you can give back in your community!
Red Cross and Community Partners Alyeska Pipeline and Grainger Lend a Hand to Flood Victims
When Red Cross volunteers arrived in Eagle on May 9, the Yukon River's destruction was everywhere. Massive chunks of ice towered over splintered homes. The local clinic was completely destroyed, medical supplies littered among brush and trees. Nearly 70 people found themselves not only without a home but without their belongings. Ice and water continued to wreak havoc in communities downriver from Eagle for weeks, leaving hundreds of Alaskans displaced and needing to put the pieces of their lives back together. Throughout it all, the Red Cross has been there-- and with generous donations of $25,000 from Alyeska Pipeline Service Company and $10,000 from Grainger, we can continue to help those who need us most.
"When a disaster strikes, immediate needs are very evident," said Michelle Houlihan, CEO of the American Red Cross of Alaska. "But long after the disaster, families still need help. That's why Alyeska Pipeline and Grainger's generous donations are so important to the Red Cross. They've allowed us to not only fund immediate relief efforts, but also help immensely with the services we still are providing long term."
When the first flooding hit Eagle, the Red Cross was on the ground assisting the community and other organizations with shelter, hot meals, and emotional counseling. At the same time, the Red Cross in Fairbanks was providing up to 300 meals a day to residents of Tanana and Stevens Village who had been evacuated from their homes. A Red Cross liasion was stationed at the State Emergency Coordination Center on Ft. Richardson, working with state officials and other volunteer organizations to make sure that when villages needed help, we could fulfill their needs. Hundreds of pounds of clean up supplies like bleach, mops, and Tyvek suits were sent out. Volunteers traveled door to door in villages all along the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers doing damage assessment. 300 homes have been affected so far, many of them destroyed. Families face a great challenge to rebuild and replace the most basic of belongings like furniture and bedding.
The Red Cross depends on donations from local residents and businesses to provide disaster services across Alaska. If you would like to help, donate now.
During the floods:
7 Red Cross volunteers were deployed to communities in need
6,668 meals were served
195 comfort kits were distributed
Hundreds of pounds of cleanup supplies were sent to villages
300 homes were affected
