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Red Cross ERVs bring relief to flood victims in Jefferson County
By Shannon Hext, American Red Cross
Wednesday, June 25, 2008 — More than two weeks after the heavy rains began, the rivers are finally cresting in Jefferson County as volunteers frantically fill sandbags to save their homes.
Amidst their hard labor, echoes of “thank you so much” and “oh food!” can be heard as American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) roll in with lunch, water and snacks throughout the day. At each stop the drivers hop out, eager to provide food to local residents, sandbaggers, local enforcement and National Guardsmen throughout the county.
In neighborhoods completely underwater, the drivers have to call down the street to announce their presence and wait for residents to come to the ERV by boat and four wheelers through the shallow water. People come in ones and twos in their boats, and express a few words of gratitude before they head back to keep the water out of their homes.
In the past few days ERVs have passed out more than 3,000 snacks and meals donated from local businesses or made by Red Cross volunteers. In addition, the Red Cross will also be delivering clean up kits and comfort kits to local residents as they start returning to their homes.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.
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