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Red Cross urges more Perry County volunteers after floods, home fires
Summary
Red Cross presenter Deborah Rainer told Perry County officials the chapter needs more local volunteers and pre-identified shelter sites after February floods and frequent home fires; she said roughly 29% of assessed families applied for Red Cross aid following outreach.
Deborah Rainer, a Red Cross presenter introduced to the court as the chapter’s disaster representative, briefed Perry County officials on the chapter’s disaster response, training programs and volunteer needs. She said donor support "powers the volunteers" and described the chapter's coverage across 24 counties.
Rainer outlined recent response metrics and service areas, noting home fires remain the chapter’s most frequent disaster and describing work after February floods. According to Rainer, damage assessments included seven destroyed dwellings and dozens of major and minor damages; about 29% of assessed families completed applications for Red Cross assistance after targeted outreach and a local radio public-service announcement helped raise application rates.
Rainer emphasized the need to pre-identify shelter sites and train local shelter volunteers so communities can be supported in the first 24–72 hours before out-of-area Red Cross teams arrive. "If we did not have the generosity of donors, we could not put those boots on the ground," she said, urging the county to expand local volunteer ranks and partner on preparedness efforts.
She described free training available to residents — including CPR and emergency-action planning — and encouraged school-based outreach. Rainer introduced Leslie Gill as a disaster program manager available for technical questions and mentioned Nadine McCrindle as the chapter's recently appointed CEO.
County officials asked practical questions about scheduling smoke-alarm installations; Red Cross staff said scheduling typically takes "about 3 to 4 weeks". Rainer also described hospitality grants, veteran services and nursing-home activities the chapter provides locally.
The presentation concluded with an offer for follow-up coordination between county emergency staff and the Red Cross, and an appeal for more volunteers to support local sheltering and response capacity.
