American Red Cross - Southeast Missouri Chapter

For Gail and Peter Tinsley, the flood of 2011 was personal.

The Poplar Bluff, Mo., couple spent a frenzied week in late April helping more than 300 of their friends and fellow community members displaced when the Black River surged over its levee and deluged much of the city.

It was massive disaster relief -- on an intimate level.

"When you're volunteering and working with people who are affected, then it's very personal," Gail Tinsley said. "You know some of the people, and the ones you don't, you get to know because you're in that shelter 24-7 helping them survive."

The Tinsleys have served as volunteers for the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross for two years and as captains of the organization's Disaster Action Team for Butler County. They've helped plenty of people find food, shelter, clothing and the essentials, usually following house fires. They were new to disaster on this scale.

The Black River Coliseum, filled with flood victims, was ground zero of relief operations for the Red Cross, and the Tinsleys, Poplar Bluff business owners, each booked 12-plus-hour days assisting where needed. They saw the need firsthand and what it has done to the Red Cross' resources.

From the unprecedented floods that displaced thousands in Southeast Missouri to the tornado that devastated Joplin, the nation's deadliest twister in 50 years, to a series of violent spring storms, the Show Me State has been shown just about everything Mother Nature can dish out. And the Red Cross has come to the rescue of disaster victims every time.

"Even though the disaster is over, people need to know the Red Cross needs funds or there won't be money for the next disaster," Gail Tinsley said. "We need to be prepared for the next disaster. We know it's coming, we just don't know when."

Meeting the need

The Southeast Missouri chapter, which serves 11 counties, was as busy as it has ever been during this spring's historic floods. From Poplar Bluff to Morehouse to Cape Girardeau, the Red Cross sheltered 382 people, providing 1,987 overnight stays, according to the latest Red Cross statistics. It deployed scores of volunteers, like the Tinsleys, helping with everything from passing out vouchers for necessities to sorting through and stacking pallets of donated goods.

Cheryl Klueppel said she has not seen anything as devastating as the 2011 floods in her five years as executive director of the chapter. Only the ice storms of 2009 come close.

"The difference is floods take so much longer to recover from," she said. "People one day wake up, the floodwaters rise and they are never able to return to the home as they knew it. That was the way it was across our entire region, and it's taking longer for families to recover from the flood."

Nationally, the American Red Cross launched 436 operations in 31 states between late March and June, according to Red Cross spokeswoman Anne Marie Borrego. More than 13,300 Red Cross workers assisted, many at the nearly 240 emergency shelters that were established. Volunteers served more than 3.2 million meals and snacks, handed out more than 1.5 million relief items, and provided some 75,000 health and mental health consultations.

"Anecdotally, we can say it's been the busiest spring season of the past several years," Borrego said.

In all, the American Red Cross spent about $51 million helping disaster victims, or about 13 percent of the $378 million the organization requires annually to prepare and respond to disasters, Borrego said.

Still, the spate of recent natural disasters doesn't come close to the $2.2 billion Red Cross donors contributed to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Stretched resources

It seems things have improved since mid-May, not long after the Joplin tornado, when Red Cross spokesman Roger Lowe voiced concerns about the floods and tornadoes stretching resources thin.

"The fundraising is not keeping up with our extended needs, and we don't know how long we need to be providing shelter, food, mental health assistance," Lowe told the Huffington Post. "The disasters just keep coming."

Klueppel and Borrego say the public has been extraordinarily generous during the past several months. But keeping up with need during times of disaster like Southeast Missouri has seen is a challenge, Klueppel said.

"There are so many generous people but rarely do we raise enough during disasters to cover the assistance we provide," she said.

Relief efforts continue in Japan, four months after a tsunami and earthquake devastated that nation's northeast coast. The American Red Cross as of last month had contributed nearly $210 million to the assistance campaign. Volunteers remain in Haiti, helping in the country's continued relief and recovery effort year and a half after an earthquake killed tens of thousands. Now the Red Cross is preparing for what is promising to be one of the most active hurricane season in years.

"It never stops," Borrego said.

That's why unrestricted donations are so important, she said. Money targeted for one disaster or one region stays in that area, but unrestricted contributions can help any time, anywhere, Borrego said.

Gail Tinsley, the Red Cross volunteer from Poplar Bluff, said the call to respond is clearer when the disaster makes the front page or the nightly news.

"That's normal and natural, but we have to keep remembering," she said.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address

2430 Myra Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO

Cape Girardeau, MO – At this time the Red Cross in unable to accept inquiries to contact or locate family and friends in Japan. However, there are several resources available as follows:

Please note that when you enter the mobile phone number for search on the webpage, you should remove the country code 0081 and add 0 at the beginning. For example, if you dial the number internationally as follows, 0081-90-8877-6655, enter it into the website as: 090-8877-6655.

For those individuals interested in checking on the family members or friends on domestic soil, please log onto www.redcross.org/safeandwell. You may search for loved ones from a list of those who have registered themselves as “safe and well” by clicking on the Search Registrants button. The results of a successful search will display a loved one’s first name, last name and a brief message.

Scroll down until you see the golden boxed section entitled How to help Victims of Disasters. Click on Number One Donate Now and then click on the second icon – Disaster Relief for Countless crises.

If you would like to send a check locally they must clearly label it Japan Earthquake and mail or drop off at

Disaster Alert: Earthquake in Japan, Tsunami Warnings

American Red Cross Southeast Missouri urges people to make sure they have smoke alarms in their homes.

Cape Girardeau, MO, October 4 — As the country marks National Fire Prevention Week October 3-9 the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter is urging everyone to help save lives by making sure their home is protected by smoke alarms.

“The largest percentage of home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or alarms that don’t work,” said Jamie Koehler, Emergency Services Director, Southeast Missouri Chapter. “Smoke alarms provide a few minutes of advance warning in the event of a home fire, and that extra time can save lives.”

People who do not have smoke alarms in their home should have them installed, and those with smoke alarms should make sure they have been properly maintained and updated.

Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, as well as inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas of the home. People should test their smoke alarms once a month by pushing the test button, and replace alarm batteries at least once a year. Other smoke alarm safety recommendations include:

The Red Cross also recommends that families create and practice a home fire escape plan, which should include at least two escape routes for every room in the home. Families should choose a convenient meeting place outside of the home and practice their escape plan at least twice a year with all family members.

Nationally, the Red Cross responds to thousands of local fires throughout the country every year. Last year, the Southeast Missouri Chapter responded to over 200 home fires.

The Red Cross reminds people of the following fire safety tips they should take:

Cheryl Klueppel is the Executive Director of the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross.
(Kristin Eberts)
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As executive director of the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter, Cheryl Klueppel makes sure that her organization is there to help. Each year, under Klueppel's direction the Red Cross helps about 725 people who have lost their homes to a fire and 275 families who need to contact loved ones who are serving in the military. Another 16,000 people receive medical or disaster preparedness training.

Q: Tell me about your role at the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross.

A: As executive director of the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter, I oversee the chapter's programs and operations to ensure the Red Cross is there whenever and wherever we are needed most. It is my role to ensure that we serve as a leader in emergency preparedness and response, that we inspire a generation of volunteers, and that we strengthen our financial resources to fulfill our commitment to the community.

Q: What do you love most about what you do?

A: Helping people. I have the honor to serve with such wonderful volunteers, staff and colleagues and to be a leader in this great organization whose purpose is to provide help and hope to people in time of crisis and emergency, touching and saving lives. Because of the thousands of people who receive Red Cross training, lives are saved, military families are connected, and children and adults are aided in their recovery after disaster. Providing help and hope to families in time of emergency and disaster crisis is what the Red Cross does best. Recently, I received a call from an emergency management director stating, "There's an apartment fire and we're going to need the Red Cross." Our Disaster Action Team responded, providing water for emergency workers and support for five families who lost everything except the clothes and shoes they were wearing. I sat with a young couple in their 20s with an infant in diapers, yards away from the fire that engulfed their home, watching as clothes, family photos and their daughter's toys were lost. It was this moment and the many times we are called to be there when needed most that reminds me of why I am here.

Q: What is the most challenging part of your job?

A: The most challenging part of my job is to ensure we meet our two major needs right now, which is more volunteers and continued financial support. Many people may not realize that your Red Cross is not a government agency and does not receive government funding. Red Cross services are gifts to the American people from the American people. Gifts of time and money make our work possible in order to feed, shelter, train, prepare and serve.

Q: What did you do before taking your current position?

A: Before this position I served as donor recruitment manager for the American Red Cross Blood Services. I had also served as a Red Cross volunteer to help when a tornado hit Jackson and when a fire destroyed a residential facility in Sikeston, Mo. I worked side by side with other Red Cross volunteers, and I think for the first time I really saw first-hand the great responsibility and role of the Red Cross to help people and to help a community. Before working with the Red Cross I worked as the outreach program manager for the Alzheimer's Association in Southeast Missouri, social worker for Southeast Missouri Hospital Hospice & Home Health, and social worker at Perry Oaks Health Care in Perryville, Mo.

Q: Describe the role of the Red Cross in our community and what services are provided.

A: The American Red Cross is the nation's largest humanitarian organization led by volunteers. Our role is to help prepare our community for disaster, to mobilize relief to individuals in crisis caused by home fires or natural disasters, to have their immediate basic needs of food and shelter met.

We provide communication between those in the armed forces and their families through a worldwide network that reaches service members wherever they are to communicate a birth, death or illness.

In Southeast Missouri, people attend Red Cross disaster preparedness education presentations through their school, civic organization, work or community. Nearly 11,000 people enroll in American Red Cross health and safety courses each year at work or community classes, learning first aid, water safety and other skills that help save lives. The Southeast Missouri chapter serves the counties of Cape, Perry, Bollinger, Scott, Stoddard, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin, Butler and Wayne.

Q: Tell me about your other community involvements. What organizations have you worked with and why are they important to you?

A: I think we all have a role in helping our community. We all have talents that can be shared to mentor a child, help develop programs and support for church or an organization, help build a sense of community, or help strengthen spiritual needs of our youth. These are things I am passionate about and have given my time to. I hope I have made some difference in strengthening our great community. I am actively involved in the Cape Girardeau Chamber, Community Caring Council, Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Alzheimer's Association, SALT Council, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church and Teens Encounter Christ. As I have asked others to give of their time and talents throughout the years, I feel just as strongly to volunteer my time and experience in areas that I am passionate about and where I think I can make a contribution.

Saturday, May 15, 2010 The American Red Cross Southeast MO Chapter presented two local volunteer nurses with the American Red Cross numbered Nurse Enrollment Badge Saturday May 15, 2010. Cheryl Klueppel, Southeast MO Chapter Executive Director presented Registered Nurses Trena Novak from Benton, MO and Linda Gillespie from Dexter, MO with their Nurse Enrollment Badges upon completion of the Health Services training Saturday morning at the Southeast MO Chapter office..read more.

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Talking Shop with Cheryl Klueppel, executive director, American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter