In General

Red Cross response always begins with the local chapter. The American Red Cross has just over 800 chapters nation wide. When the local chapter needs additional people and resources, a scaling-up occurs. First the local chapter seeks help from partner organizations and mutual aid agreements with chapter’s touching its borders. The larger the disaster, more resources are secured using the help of National Headquarters.

Within the Chapter

The Oregon Trail Chapter disaster relief services provides direct assistance to individuals affected by man-made or natural disasters, ranging from single-family home fires to larger events such as tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and catastrophic incidents.

Disaster services are designed to minimize the immediate suffering caused by the disaster by providing food, clothing and shelter, and medical, nursing and mental health assistance. Trained Red Cross disaster responders are available 24 hours a day to respond to and meet the immediate disaster-caused needs of families.

Emergency assistance is intended to bridge the gap between what each individual or family is able to accomplish alone and what is actually needed to resume a more normal family routine. All Red Cross disaster services is an outright grant made possible by the generous, voluntary contributions of the American people of time, materials and money.

Out of Chapter

The Chapter’s response to a regional or national disaster is determined by Service Area or National HQ. Volunteers are recruited by Group and Activity: seldom by name. A list of volunteers needed, by group and activity, is sent to each Chapter. The chapter then determines if it has DSHR members satisfying the specified requirements on its roster who have indicated that they are currently available. The list of eligible members is sent to Service Area. It is the Service Area that then selects responders from that list.

American Red Cross expects that members submitting themselves for national deployment are available for a three week period (plus travel time.) Nurses serving in Health Services or Staff Health, and Mental Health Professionals serving in Disaster Mental Health are expected to serve two weeks.