Red Cross response always begins with the local chapter. When the local chapter needs additional people and resources, a scaling-up occurs. First, the local chapter seeks help from partner organizations and mutual aid agreements with other nearby Red Cross chapters. The larger the disaster, the more resources are secured using the help of American Red Cross national headquarters.
Within the Chapter
The Central Georgia Chapter provides direct assistance to individuals affected by man-made or natural disasters, ranging from single-family home fires to larger events such as floods, earthquakes and catastrophic incidents.
Disaster services are designed to minimize the immediate suffering caused by the disaster by providing food, clothing and shelter, and medical, nursing and mental health assistance. Trained Red Cross disaster responders are available 24-hours a day to meet the immediate disaster-caused needs of families.
Emergency assistance is intended to bridge the gap between what each individual or family is able to accomplish alone and what is actually needed to begin rebuilding their lives. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission.
Outside the Chapter
The Central Georgia Chapter's response to a regional or national disaster is determined at a national level. Volunteers are recruited by Group and Activity seldom by name. A list of needed volunteers is sent to each chapter. The chapter then determines if it has volunteers on its roster that meet the specific requirements and are currently available. The list of eligible members is then sent on to national headquarters, where they choose responders from that list.
The American Red Cross expects that volunteers submitting themselves for national deployment are available for a three-week period (plus travel time). Nurses serving in Health Services or Staff Health, and mental health professionals serving in Disaster Mental Health are expected to serve for two weeks.
