SPRINGFIELD (May 25, 2017)—The Northern Miami Valley Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross is closing its shelter for the residents of the multiple apartment buildings that were impacted by the tornado that swept across Clark County Wednesday night. The shelter was at the Medway United Methodist Church on South Dayton-Lakeview Road in New Carlisle.
The Red Cross is providing accommodations for any of the shelter residents who are not able to return to their apartments and unable to find alternative housing. The Red Cross is also working one-on-one with residents who ask for assistance to make sure they have the resources they need to pick up after the storm.
Red Cross volunteers are also assessing damage throughout the area today, providing clean-up materials, relief assistance and educational material to help everyone impacted prepare for the next storm. Anyone impacted by the storm who needs assistance is encouraged to call the Red Cross.
The Red Cross is dependent on—and thankful for—the volunteers who live in the area and sacrifice their time to go out and help others from the area in times of great need. These volunteers were put on alert early Wednesday evening and were called into action when the Clark County Emergency Management Agency requested a shelter be opened for residents of the apartment buildings impacted by the EF-1 tornado. The volunteers were able to set up and open the shelter in less than one hour. These volunteers train, practice and spend countless hours preparing for just such an event.
The Red Cross has memoranda of understanding with organizations throughout the area that have the facilities capable of becoming a shelter. It also keeps trailers loaded with shelter equipment—cots, blankets, tables, chairs, etc.—on standby at all times. The Red Cross also assures these facilities are thoroughly cleaned after the shelter closes, which is happening today.
The Red Cross is also thankful for the generosity of donors for its finances and organizations such as the Medway United Methodist Church for use of its facilities when emergencies such as a shelter for the residents of the tornado need to be set up. If you would like more information about how you can prepare you family for disasters like this, become a volunteer ready to help your community or financially support your local Red Cross, please contact the Springfield office at 339-3872.
All disaster-related services provided by the Red Cross are free. The Red Cross is not a governmental agency, though, so the costs to provide these services comes from donations provided by the generosity of the American public. Anyone wishing to make a donation to support families suffering as a result of disasters are encouraged to go to RedCross.org, call 1-800-REDCROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999.