(ASHEVILLE, NC) – Dec. 31, 2009 – We at the Asheville-Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross, are looking forward to a new beginning 2010. We are making our resolutions about how we can expand upon our current preparedness and preventative measures in our community.
We closed out the year with an unusually cold December, which resulted in an increase of fires and a major winter storm. In the month of December alone, the Asheville Mountain-Area Chapter responded to 24 home fires, assisting and administering aid to 27 families.We responded to both the immediate physical and emotional needs, coming into the lives of these families after unimaginable devastation and starting them on the path to long-term recovery and future preparedness. We have continued our efforts in educating the community on house fire prevention and preparedness, offering disaster courses and presentations to hundreds of people.
In addition to the increase in home fires, we experienced a major winter snow storm, due to the unusually low temperatures of December. We opened 24 shelters over a period of 4 days and provided food and warmth for an estimated 1000 displaced residents.
With all the attention received by major disasters, 4 out 5 Americans don’t realize the most common disaster threat is not hurricanes or floods—it’s home fires.Home fires are the most preventable disaster that we respond to here at the Red Cross but single-family and multiple-family fires continue to be some of our largest response efforts. No one, no family is exempt. But we can all take preventative measures to reduce the risk of fire in our homes.
That’s why we have made it our resolution for the 2010 to further expand our efforts in fire prevention and preparedness by consistently uploading new content to our website and social media outlets and by using updated mediums of technology such as video and podcasts to spread the word on fire prevention.
In the meantime, the Fire Preparedness section of our website has relevant information on fire prevention and safety. We hope you will take a few moments to read over our materials and take the necessary steps to making your home safer and less susceptible to home fires.
For a link to a Google Map of the house fires responded to by our teams across our region in the past year, click here.
