RED CROSS – Disaster Volunteer

WSBTV.com – News – Fires Hit Two Metro Apartment Complexes

As a Red Cross Disaster Volunteer, I responded to another fire in Duluth on Sunday, April 10th. I love what I do with the Red Cross. I am on the Disaster Response Team. We were called out around noon on Sunday. I walked through the burned apartmentsdoing damage assessment …. the first two levels only had minor water and smoke damage. The top units were completely burned. There were no ceilings or walls – only a floor.

I will never forget some of the smallest details…they are the ones that stick out in my mind and follow me where ever I go. It was so errie and dark and quiet (all electricity off) so even mundane sounds were no longer. The only thing I hear is dripping water and creaking from three stories above you. Tom, the fireman that escorted me in said we only had a few minutes to spare. One of our jobs is to retrieve medicine, glasses, pets, etc. that we can if the building is not safe enough for people to enter into. We also assess all damage and provide relief to the victims.  Everything was burned. It looked like wet, gray, soggy newspapers. The only identifiable object left was a little ceramic figurine of a tiny African American girl fishing. I ended up assisting several families today. Not only does the Red Cross give money right then and there, but bears for the little kids, clean up kits, care kits. We have food delivered for these folks. I am so grateful to be a part of something that helps bring order to catastrophe. I can't imagine losing everything material in my life.

Another Article:
Copyright 2005 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

April 11, 2005 Monday Home Edition
Gwinnett News; Pg. 8JJ;
Fire at Duluth apartments leaves 31 people homeless

JOHN GHIRARDINI

A Sunday morning blaze at a Duluth apartment complex left 31 people homeless, fire officials said. No injuries were reported.

The fire broke out about 10:09 a.m. in a wall between two units of a three-story, 20-unit building at the Arbors at Breckenridge, said Fire Department spokesman Thomas Rutledge. The building already had been evacuated before firefighters from nearby Station 5 arrived at 10:10 to find heavy smoke and fire pouring from the attic. The fire at one point broke through the roof, Rutledge said, causing a partial collapse at the corner of the building.

"[Firefighters] did a good job of keeping it from running across the attic," he said.
The top two units where the fire began were destroyed. Several other units sustained smoke and water damage, and two others had holes knocked in ceilings and walls.
The fire was determined to be accidental, Rutledge said, though no specific cause has been blamed officially.

Displaced residents said they were told electrical wiring was the culprit. Apartment management declined to comment.

Many displaced residents were members of an extended Pakistani family, said Andy Ali, whose apartment suffered smoke damage.

Ali was on his way back from Alabama when a relative called him about the fire.
"It's not even my fault," he said. "What are we supposed to do?"

The Red Cross will provide shelter for the nine affected families until they can move back in or find other apartments, said Hal Simmons, head of the organization's Disaster Relief Team responding to the call. "The Red Cross was there within an hour and did a tremendous job," Rutledge said.

If you are interested in volunteering – here's a brief description of a Disaster Team VolunteerDisaster Services Volunteer
Every day of the year, 24 hours a day, the American Red Cross is there for you whenever disaster strikes to provide food, clothing, shelter, medications, and encouragement to face the future. More than 65 Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers made this assistance possible within Gwinnett County this past year. They responded to 136 disasters (mostly home fires) and assisted 516 individuals with emergency needs.

All you have to do is click on the Red Cross icon to the right of your screen.

Thanks!