April 2009

Volume 1, Issue 8

American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, 441 East 10th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202 www.redcross-indy.org 317-684-1441

Red Cross Feeding Fargo Volunteers Greater Indianapolis Red Cross ERV
Around the Clock and Volunteers Sent to North Dakota

(article from www.redcross.org)
Monday, March 30, 2009 — The American Red Cross has
shifted to a 24-7 feeding effort supporting the volunteers
carefully watching North Dakota and Minnesota lev-
ees. This makes
the 11th day that
Red Cross work-
ers have been on
the scene feed-
ing and supply-
ing the city of
Fargo as resi-
dents battle the
Red River.
The Red Cross
Sandbags at the FargoDome in Fargo, ND. will continue
photo credit: Virginia Hart / American Red Cross
feeding and
sheltering efforts
for as long as needed. At press time, more than 42,500
meals and 120,600 snacks have been served and 39 Emer-
gency Response Vehicles (ERVs), staffed with more than
500 Red Cross workers and volunteers, have been involved
in the relief effort.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature may bring additional bad
weather to the Fargo area in the form of a blizzard with high
winds and as many as 14 inches of snow. Although Red
River levels are falling, they are still more than 20 feet
above flood level. According to local news reports, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers is concerned that the storm’s high
winds may cause river waves to smash against the sandbag
levees, causing them to weaken. The Red Cross is working
closely with state and local officials on plans to shelter
evacuees should the levees fail.
Residents are being asked to stay off the streets and schools
remain closed. “We need to get through this storm and have
some confidence in the river levels before the city lets down
its guard,” said Fargo’s mayor, Dennis Walaker.
T
he Greater Indianapolis Red Cross is providing help and
support to those fighting the flood waters of the Red
River in North Dakota.
The American Red Cross ERV (Emergency Response Vehi-
cle), driven by volunteers Frank Kominowski and Jan Fer-
land, was deployed on March 24th to deliver supplies and
meals wherever they are needed.
Seven other volunteers, Lori Burts, Jennifer Jansen, and
brothers, Steve and Bob Wolfe of Indianapolis; Steven
Schiller of Carmel; Pamela Harr of Frankfort; and Mary Jo
Lowe of Nineveh were sent out to help operate the shelters
opened to offer a warm, safe, and dry place for people to stay.
The tenth Greater Indianapolis volunteer, Rodney Smith of
Carmel will join a Disaster Assessment team.
Volunteering Is a Family Affair
F or brothers Steve and Robert Wolfe, the Red River flood
is not the first national disaster they’ve volunteered for,
but it is the first
disaster they’ve
volunteered in
the same Red
Cross shelter.
The volunteers
from the
Greater Indian-
apolis Chapter
of the Ameri-
can Red Cross
have volun-
teered for three other national disasters in recent years but
haven’t had the opportunity to work together until now.
“While you develop great relationships with other volunteers,
it’s nice to have your brother to lean on too,” said Robert.
“It’s another level of unconditional support.”
Emergency Services Newsletter 2

Greetings from the FBCI Corner…

By
Jillian Luttrell

The FBCI Goes Live!

M arch has been a very busy – and rewarding – month for the Faith-Based Community Initiative.

First, Justin Gray and I presented our program at the Indiana State Disaster Services meeting. We explained what the
FBCI is, how it functions, and how each chapter can start their own FBCI program. To provide extra support, we offered to
travel to any chapter and work with them to start their own program. This meeting gave us the chance to display the many
benefits of forging active partnerships with faith-based agencies. We were able
to share not only the work that we have done but also the work our partners have
done with Red Cross representatives from all over the state!

March also marked the successful completion of our first MOCK DISASTER
DRILL!

The Mock Disaster Drill is an exercise in which Action Teams open and operate
their facility as if they were really being activated as a Red Cross shelter. Fellow
congregants and community members act as clients or other characters through-
out the exercise. The Action Team must register and care for these “clients” and
learn the best ways to deal with whatever situation may arise.
Dormitory workers set up cots.
Justin and I knew from the beginning of our service that the Mock Disaster would
be a major component of the FBCI program.

We spent many hours researching, brainstorming, writing, revising, and finally producing a complete mock disaster drill. The
next step was actually implementing it. We set March 14th as D-Day and contacted Shelbyville Community Church about par-
ticipating. They were very enthusiastic and ready to go, so our next step
was to secure a shelter manager, all of the necessary material resources,
and, of course, lunch!

On behalf of the FBCI team, we would like to congratulate Shelbyville

Community Church on a job well done! SCC has been a very motivated
partner that has put a lot of planning and thought into their shelter plan.
All of their hard work was very evident the day of the drill. SCC’s Action
Team had the shelter organized and was ready to accept clients within a
half hour. Despite the vari-
ous problems that arose, the
Action Team was able to
deal skillfully with each
situation. It was a very edu-
Action Team Members explain Red Cross shelter cational experience on both
rules to a “local reporter.” sides, and proved that SCC
will be more than ready to
operate their church as a Red Cross shelter if needed.

Justin and I have been working on the Mock Disaster since we started and both
view it as the fullest realization of the FBCI partnership. It allows our partners to
utilize and apply their training at the ground level. Although disasters can be rare
in our area, it is important that our partners stay active in disaster response and
are well-prepared to open their facilities as Red Cross shelters. We hope to make
the Mock Disaster Drill a regular, annual exercise for each of our FBCI partners. Service Center Manager Mike Riley observes
the shelter set-up.
To see more photos of Shelbyville Community Church in action, check out the
FBCI blog: www.rcfbci.blogspot.com.

There are two more drills coming up in May, so stay tuned to the blog for more news!
Emergency Services Newsletter
Volunteer Spotlight: Russell and Lin Lopez
by
Adam Ansari
T his month we decided to spotlight two volunteers who
have been volunteering with the Red Cross for several
years. Many of you have probably met these individuals in a
class, in the office, or in an emer-
gency service setting. They both
have worked tirelessly in their ef-
forts to improve the Red Cross and
I am so excited to be sitting down
with them both. Their names are
Russell and Lin Lopez and they are
the Chapter’s Disaster Assessment
leads. Both Russell and Lin have
helped out with a number of differ-
ent disasters around the community
and thankfully always seem to be
there when danger calls. Their
efforts have been described by
Kadi Best as being “irreplaceable” and I know several other
staff members feel similarly. I sat down with both of them
this week and asked them a few questions. I hope that you
learn more about Russell and Lin and are encouraged in your
own Red Cross service.
ES Newsletter: So, how did you two first get involved with the
Red Cross?
Russ: When I was a young person, early teens, I lived in
West Virginia and I volunteered with the local volunteer fire
department. However, when I grew up and as I started a fam-
ily I got away from those things. Years later, I found myself
in Indianapolis working out of Fort Harrison about the time of
September 11th, and what happened was that my whole view
kind of changed. All of a sudden I realized I used to be more
involved in the community and there was nothing really hold-
ing me back from volunteering. After that I sort of started
looking around for an organization that would make best use
of my time and make best use of the community’s resources.
And so looking around, I felt the Red Cross did an excellent
job in both regards.
Lin: Ha-ha, well I actually got involved because of this guy,
so his story kind of sums it up.
ES: What do you like most about volunteering?
Lin: Basically, I feel like I’m making a contribution towards
society.
Russ: For me, I think it’s the satisfaction of being able to
contribute to the community in some way. Different people
do it in different ways; depends on your age, depends on your
economic status. If you have a young family or if you’re a
college student, you’re pretty limited for resources that sort of
thing, but as you get older or if your situation changes then
this is an excellent way of giving back to the community.
3
ES: What is one of your most memorable experiences at the
Red Cross?
Russ: Not long ago, we had a tornado
that struck a rather densely populated
area of Indianapolis and it hit an area
of town in which the residents do not
necessarily have a lot of financial re-
sources. It was interesting because
each apartment complex that we vis-
ited had a barrier and one police car in
front of it; except for this one complex
which had two police cars and two
barriers, which I thought was interest-
ing. So we pulled up and we intro-
duced ourselves to the officer. I told
him why we were there and that we
wanted to do disaster assessment on this area. He said, “Are
you really sure you want to do that?” I said, “Yea that is our
job and what we are supposed to do.” He then replied, “This
area has the highest crime rate in the city, are you sure you
want to go back there? I won’t even go back there.” I simply
replied to that, “Yes, I don’t know if you notice or not, but we
are wearing different uniforms. I don’t wear a gun and I’m not
here to threaten or take anyone away. I’m here to provide
assistance.” So we drove back into this apartment complex
and we drove around for a bit and as we were coming in we
passed an elderly lady and a younger girl, grandmother and
granddaughter probably. She had a look of bewilderment on
her face, so we stopped and asked her if we could do anything
to help. She then explained that the police won’t let her leave
the area. She also said that they can’t stay at their place be-
cause the walls have been blown in and she didn’t know
where to go. She was kind of in a state of shock; if your
home was totally destroyed you might be very upset by that
also. I then asked if she has any relatives in the area and if
she could possibly stay with any of them. She said yes, and I
gave her my cell phone to talk to her daughter. She talked to
her daughter and was able to arrange for her daughter to pick
her up. After that we gave her some more information about
the Red Cross and what the organization could do to possibil-
ity help out in the future. What I think about, is that I’m not
really sure what would have happened to the lady and her
granddaughter had someone not come by and talked with her;
she may have walked back and forth all night and not known
what to do. So in the end, I felt we were able to do a good
thing for these two individuals and I’m not really sure they
would have gotten the service from the community had we
not been there.
(cont. on page 4)
Emergency Services Newsletter 4

(cont. from page 3) ES: Wow, four different disciplines that is crazy. Alright, last
question, if you could give one piece of advice to new volun-
ES: Wow that is a great story. Moving in a more lighthearted teers, what would it be?
direction; what is your favorite book or movie?
Lin: Try everything once. There is a lot of work to do and
Lin: It would be a work of fiction; it would probably be the surely in there, there is something that you are going to like.
entire Lord of the Rings series/Hobbit series. I had read them Training may seem to take forever to do but it is worth it.
ages ago before the movies came out and when the movies Even the most basic classes give you a good feel for what you
came out I obviously had to watch them. are trying to accomplish.
Russ: I actually began listening to the Lord of the Rings series Russ: Explore the Red Cross. The Red Cross has many dif-
on disk after Lin had mentioned it a few times, and I ended up ferent avenues, many different ways that people can serve. I
getting sort of interested in the story too. Instead of listening am sure that whoever you are, you are likely to find some
to the same forty songs over and over, I began listening to the particular avenue that you are comfortable with, that gives
books on car rides. you satisfaction. The Red Cross is more than one particular
function. So, I would encourage them to explore different
activities and find the activity that brings them the most satis-
ES: What might your fellow Red Cross volunteers be sur- faction. In the end, that activity will probably be the place
prised to know about you? where they do the most good for themselves and the clients.

Russ: I think people would be surprised that when I was a Thank you, Russell and Lin, for your dedication and excellent
youth, I actually did a large amount of martial arts training service to the Red Cross!
and I am a black belt in four different disciplines; Judo, Ka-
rate, Iado, and Kendo.

Lin: I don’t think there is anything that people would be really

surprised by me. I think people really get a feel for who I am
when first meeting me.

DRO Certificates of Appreciation Service to Armed Forces Update

Have Gone Green By
By Sheila Conrad
Debbie Taylor

B eginning this calendar year, the Disaster Operations

Human Resources unit is using electronic certificates
of appreciation for all Level III and higher operations. The
new certificates were used on the first five Level III and
above disaster relief operations of calendar year 2009,
resulting in a cost savings of over $4,200. Based on feed-
back from over 100 individuals receiving the first 1,100
certificates, recipients strongly favor this method by a ratio
of 8 to 1. Electronic certificates will be sent to all DSHR
members and local staff registered in DROMIS Staffing
on disaster relief operations with viable email addresses.
The affected chapter’s Staff Services person will also be
emailed a template which enables local partners, vendors,
and staff without email addresses to be individually recog-
nized.
T he month of March has been a busy one for the
Service to Armed Forces. We have done 5 finan-
cial cases and so far 100 communications. There is still
a need for caseworkers who can help one morning or
day a week. I am also looking for volunteers to help
pass out brochures at different events; no real training
needed, just a smiling face and a willingness to
help. Call Sheila Conrad at 317-684-4322 if you can
help.
A special thanks to Diane Nelson-Roberts for doing the
Coping with Deployment class for the Shelbyville
Family Readiness Group. The reviews were great!
Emergency Services Newsletter 5
The Day Isn’t Done Until the Paperwork Is Complete (and Turned In)!
By Chris Gilbert

A s trained Red Cross workers, we do a really good job at

providing assistance to those in need after a disaster.
Already this year Red Cross chapters across the state have
Mass Care - General

F 5266SMC – Disaster Operations Control, Mass Care Work-

responded to and provided assistance during a major winter sheet. Excel-based form that gets sent to OM/FSI to
storm, tornadoes, and flooding. This is in addition to the fill in the 5266.
house and apartment fires that we respond to every day.
F 6454 – Mass Care Daily Operations Report. Excel-based
To be at our best for the coming year, it’s time to review the form for keeping all the Mass Care daily numbers.
paperwork that goes along with the jobs and functions that we
do. Everyone should take some time to review training mate- Feeding
rial, forms, and other documents for your areas of interest and F 5972 – Mass Care Mobile Feeding Unit Daily Activity Re-
review the forms and how they are filled out. Still have ques- port. Excel-based form that can also be printed and
tions? Feel free to sign up for a class, even if you’ve had it used in the field.
before!
Shelter Operations
Properly filled-out paperwork helps paint a complete picture
of what you are doing for others, the assistance needed, and F 6564 – Shelter Facility Survey. Opening a new shelter?
the assistance given. Operations Management uses the infor- You’ll need this form.
mation to develop assistance methods and budgets, Fund
Raising uses it to tell our story to the public, Partner Services F 5972 – Shelter Registration Form. Clients fill out this form
uses it to keep our partners informed, and much much more. when staying at a shelter. Also available in Spanish
(F 5972S).
Below is a list of the most common forms used at the start of a
disaster. Review the list and find the forms most commonly National Shelter System. Not a form but a web-based shelter
used for your function and take some time to review them. population reporting system. This is the system of
These forms and a complete list can be found by going to record for shelter data in the American Red Cross.
CrossNet (crossnet.redcross.org) and clicking on Forms in the Online training can be found online at
top menu bar. nss.communityos.org.

General Operations / Financial & Statistical Information

F 6409 – Disaster Requisition. The form that gets stuff for F 5266 – Disaster Operations Control. Excel based because it
you to do your job! needs to be. Using Excel will keep your total from
day to day and other things. Other forms, such as the
Daily Narrative Situation Report. Numbers don’t always paint F 5266MS, help gather information for this form.
a complete picture of what’s going on or what you This form depends on information gathered on many
plan to do in your function. This report is a critical other forms to complete.
part of relaying that information.
F 5266D – Disaster Operations Control, Line-by-Line In-
Disaster Assessment (DA) structions. Instructions for the F5266 and a must
have for the inexperienced 5266 user.
F 5233 – Damage Assessment Summary Sheet. Excel-based
form used for the PDA and to sum up the 5739s for a F 2066 - Statistical and Cost Report of Disaster Operation
DDA. Instructions for using the form are on the first
tab; different variations of the 5233 are on the fol- Material Support Service (MSS)
lowing tabs. Using the form in Excel will calculate
totals for you. There is a blank printable copy on one F 5266MS – Disaster Operations Control, Logistics Work-
of the tabs if needed. sheet. Excel-based form that gets sent to OM/FSI to
fill in the 5266.
F 5739 – On-Site Detailed Damage Assessment Sheet. Don’t
miss any applicable blanks! Remember, you are F 6455 – Resource Record. This is where information regard-
painting a picture for others. ing In-Kind donations and other resources is re-
corded.
Emergency Services Newsletter 6

Red Cross Links and Resources

Preparing for floods. What you need to know.
http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.53fabf6cc033f17a2b1ecfbf43181aa0/?
vgnextoid=a3871c99b5ccb110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

Red Cross/Fargo flooding updates on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanredcross/

Curious about the history of declared disasters? Check out FEMA’s website.
http://www.fema.gov/news/disaster_totals_annual.fema

Brooding sky as rain approaches.

Shot from the ARC front courtyard facing west on 3/31/09.

Photo by Teresa Cummings

Emergency Services Newsletter 7

Johnson County Service Center Drivers Needed in Morgan County

Welcomes Two New Volunteers By
Stefanie Davis
By
Stefanie Davis

T he Johnson County Service Center would like to

welcome two new volunteers.
Dianna Jennings has joined the Red Cross in Morgan
County. She is helping at the Morgan County office on
Thursdays, and will begin volunteering with the Disaster
Action Team for the southern half of Morgan County be-
ginning in April.
We would also like to welcome a new volunteer to our
Shelby County team. Gordon Craig will be volunteering
with the Shelby County Disaster Action Team.
We all send our warmest welcome to Dianna and Gordon,
and hope that they enjoy their volunteer experiences with
the Red Cross.
T he Morgan County office offers a transportation
program to assist persons in Morgan County who
need to get to medical appointments, but do not have
transportation. With the strains that the economy is put-
ting on individual and family finances, the Morgan
County office is seeing an increase in the need for their
transportation services. If any current volunteers would
like to volunteer or know someone else who may want
to get involved with the Morgan County Transportation
Program, they may call Stefanie at the Johnson County
office at (317) 736-0650. We can always use extra vol-
unteers to help drive residents to their doctor’s appoint-
ments.

ARCGI Emergency
Have a Submission for
Services Newsletter
the Newsletter?
Published by our Emergency Services
Volunteer Newsletter Team Send to
Jenny Davidson and ES Staff esnewsletter@redcross-indy.org