Our Disaster Services Mission
The American Red Cross , San Joaquin County Chapter Disaster Services mission is to ensure that disaster planning, preparedness, community disaster education, mitigation, and response at the local level is consisant with the overall mission of the National Red Cross and that our community receives the highest quality of services in a uniform, consistant, and responsive manner.
The San Joaquin County Chapter of the American Red Cross responds to disasters such as Residential, Haz-Mat evacuations or other local situations that cause immediate human suffering, as well as; larger calamities like hurricanes, floods and earthquakes that create human needs that those affected cannot alleviate without assistance.
Planning to Respond
Long before a disaster strikes, the Red Cross plans what it will do. A disaster response plan identifies what it will take to respond to various disasters, what resources are needed, and how they will be coordinated and used. As part of the planning process, the San Joaquin County Chapter of the American Red Cross practices and participates in drills and exercises. Such planning enables us to respond more efficiently and effectively.
Preparing to Respond
Every Red Cross Chapter works continously to be ready to respond by coordinating and calaborating with other local community based organizations. As part of this process, we identify places to set up shelters and service centers, make arrangements with vendors for needed supplies, and work with merchants.
Our ability to respond also depends on having people who are trained and ready. Each month we offer free basic disaster course training to new volunteers who can provide consistant,quality services to people affected by disasters.
Last Year, the American Red Cross responded to more than 60,000 disasters across the nation, and locally we responded to approximately 110 incidents from single-family residence and apartment fires.
Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, health and mental health services to address basic human needs. In addition to these services, the core of Red Cross disaster relief is the assistance given to individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently.
Disaster Action Teams (DATs)
Respond to the incident, evaluate Red Cross participation, and provide emergency assistance to families and emergency workers during local disasters. Establish initial response of mass care or shelter as needed.
Seniors, are you prepared for a disaster?
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My Home Preparedness Index
Are you prepared for a disaster? Check your preparedness with the My Home Preparedness Index, downloadable as a Word or pdf file.
Disaster Function Definition
- Mass Care
- Damage Assessment
- Family Services
- Logistic
- Liaison
- Public Affairs
- Staffing/Local Volunteer
- Health Volunteer
- Mental Health services
- Communication
- Administration
Mass Care (Feeding and Sheltering): Provides congregate shelter facilities and fixed and mobile food services to workers in a disaster area. Provides bulk distribution of supplies and commodities to people affected by the disaster.
Damage Assessment: Determines the size and scope of a disaster and the level of damage sustained by dwellings within the affected area. Develops and distributes statistical data related to the effects of a disaster and demographics of affected populations.
Family Services: Delivers emergency assistance to affected individuals and families, and refers persons affected by the disaster to the resources of government and/or non-government agencies. Provides additional assistance when necessary
(1) Emergency Assistance - standardized individual assistance as soon as possible following a client's first contact with the American Red Cross.
Logistics: Procures and distributes supplies and materials required for a disaster relief organization; establishes and operates warehouses; programs and manages all vehicles used on or in support of the operation; establishes a courier and shuttle service; acquires and maintains facilities.
Liaison: Establishes and maintains working relationships between the chapter and other local organizations that would facilitate recovery. Examples include other American Red Cross chapters, labor unions, non American Red Cross voluntary agencies, and human interest organizations such as elder and minority interest groups.
Public Affairs: Provides information about American Red Cross services available to people affected by disasters; provides information to the general public about Disaster Relief, serves as liaison with all media, and provides general public affairs support to the operation.
Staffing/Local Volunteers: Recruits, places, administers, supports, and recognizes paid and volunteer staff, usually from outside the affected units assigned to the operation.
Health Services: Delivers American Red Cross health services on a Disaster Relief Operation. Arranges for emergency and/or additional assistance in meeting individual or family health needs, provides health services staff in American Red Cross shelters and other facilities, provides health care for staff assigned to disaster operations.
Mental Health Services: Delivers mental health services on a disaster operation. Works with and assists local community mental health providers in ensuring that appropriate human and material resources are available to meet the emergency and/or long term emotional needs of the affected individuals, families, and communities. Identifies and meets the disaster related mental health needs of disaster workers and their families.
Communications: Establishes and maintains communications systems within a disaster relief operation, including telephone, wire service, radio, and other media, and serves as liaison with voluntary groups providing such services to the operation.
Administration: Plans, organizes, staffs, directs, and controls all functional activities on an American Red Cross operation. Establishes, maintains, and closes the operation; prepares estimates for and administers an approved budget; and establishes and maintains effective working relationships with unit and national officials, government agencies, and community organizations and groups.
