News

WTS Partners with the American Red Cross

November 19, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

November 19, 2012

Wright Tree Service has partnered with the American Red Cross – Serving Greater Iowa to support the disaster relief efforts in the wake of Super Storm Sandy and the Nor’easter that followed by giving a $10,000 gift.

Headquartered in Des Moines since 1933, Wright Tree Service has sent more than 200 employees to New York and New Jersey to clear vegetation around power lines so that utility companies can restore infrastructure after the storm. The 81 bucket truck and climbing crews were released from contracts in 5 states – Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan and Indiana – to work to restore power to millions. The last of the crews arrived in the east coast on November 7th in anticipation of the Nor’easter.

“We haven’t seen this kind of devastation since our crews responded to Hurricane Katrina, and after these disasters, the Red Cross is always the first agency to provide relief,” said Scott Packard, Wright Tree Service chairman and CEO.  “During major disasters, our mission to make positive differences in the communities we serve takes on even more significance. We knew our local Red Cross was sending personnel and resources to the same states we were, so we wanted to support those efforts.”

Today, Wright Tree Service presented a donation of $10,000.00 to the American Red Cross for disaster relief, which will help bring much needed food, water, blankets and comfort to those in need after the recent storms.

The Red Cross strives to build more resilient communities through its initiatives in preparedness, response, and recovery. Here in Iowa, the Red Cross has deployed over 50 volunteers to serve the east coast. It has also deployed all 5 of its Emergency Response Vehicles and has so far provided 3.3 million meals and snacks, 117,600 shelter stays and handed out 124,500 relief items such as tarps, gloves, garbage cans and clean up supplies.

HOW TO HELP  “This will be a large, costly relief response and the Red Cross needs help now,” Charley Shimanski, SVP of Red Cross Disaster Services, said. “People can help by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief online, by text or by phone.”  Financial donations help the Red Cross provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by disasters like Hurricane Sandy. To donate, people can visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to someone’s local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

RED CROSS APPS More than 235,000 people have downloaded the free Red Cross Hurricane App Friday when Sandy began approaching, making it one of the most popular free apps. The app gives up-to-date weather alerts, information on open Red Cross shelters, a toolkit with a flashlight, strobe light and alarm and a one-touch “I’m Safe” button that lets someone use social media outlets to let family and friends know they are okay.

People have been using the app to find shelters, to set up locations for the app to monitor, to make a disaster plan, and learn what steps they can take to stay safe. The app is available in Spanish just by changing the smart phone setting to Spanish before downloading.

The First Aid app puts expert advice for everyday emergencies in a person’s hand. Both can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.