American Red Cross serving North Louisiana

Disasters can occur anywhere, at any time, and can affect anyone. The generous donation of time, talent and treasure allows the Red Cross to help families prepare for, respond to and recover from home fires

PREPARE
"Sound the Alarm. Save a Life," aims to reduce home fire-related deaths and injuries through fire safety education and the installation of free smoke alarms. Every day, seven people die in U.S. home fires. As a responder to these local tragedies, the American Red Cross wanted to do more. That's why we launched our Home Fire Campaign in 2014 and began knocking on doors.

We call this year-round canvassing effort Sound the Alarm, and in just seven years, we've made a tremendous difference in Louisiana.
* We've installed 42,000 new smoke alarms
* 27 lives have been saved

On February 11th, Red Cross volunteers and partners showed up on a cold, rainy day and installed smoke alarms in an Alexandria neighborhood. The Red Cross has installed over 1,600 smoke alarms in 800 homes in Central Louisiana since the program began. This fiscal year over 550 smoke alarms have been installed in the area.

Last year, the Red Cross held a signature event in Shreveport where volunteers installed over 230 free smoke alarms and made 130 homes safer in just two days.

RESPOND
Here in Louisiana, our teams respond to an average of 4 home fires a day. While personal disasters like home fires may not always make the news, we know they are just as devastating as large-scale disasters to the families affected. Trained and available, Disaster Action Team volunteers are ready to respond to disasters 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. From offering a shoulder to cry on, to meeting any immediate needs for shelter or supplies, to connecting people with long term recovery services, our volunteers ensure that families don't have to face tough times alone.

RECOVER
The needs of an individual or family vary significantly after a disaster. Through the help of numerous community partners and agencies, the Red Cross provides a comprehensive and individualized recovery plan for impacted residents.

After a disaster like a home fire, a caseworker is assigned to each individual or family to navigate and assess what their current needs are and what needs they may have down the line. The intention is to get the impacted residents to their 'new normal' and to empower them with the tools, resources and referrals to help until insurance steps in or they're able to get back on their feet.

Annually, the Louisiana Region distributes nearly $1.3 million in financial assistance to Louisiana residents - mostly to home fire victims. This fiscal year, the Red Cross of Louisiana has responded to 1,180 home fires and served over 3,800 clients.