When disasters strike, the Red Cross is there to help victims put the pieces back together. Locally, the Ohio River Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, in Portsmouth, serves both Scioto and Pike counties, and has been among the first responders to house fires, tornadoes, flooding, or just feeding the fire fighters who are battling a forest fire.

The Red Cross is a non-government, not-for-profit emergency response agency. According to its Web site, the agency has five areas of focus: community services that help the needy; support and comfort for military members and their families; the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products; educational programs that promote health and safety, and international relief and development programs.

During the ice storm that covered southern Ohio last January, it was the Red Cross that set up shelters for local residents who lost their electricity. Then in the summer, a tornado ravaged parts of Pike County, and heavy winds and flooding also caused damages in Scioto County that day. The Red Cross was quick to respond, providing shelter and assistance to residents in need — such as those living at Best Care Nursing and Rehab Center, in Wheelersburg, displaced by the storm.

The Red Cross also responded to the assault at Notre Dame Elementary, in February 2008, creating shelters where mental health volunteers were available to help the community through the stressful and traumatic events.

It seems whenever you’re in need, the Red Cross is there.

Local volunteers are dispatched to work alongside the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) anywhere a disaster hits in the United States. There are currently 150 people on the local Red Cross volunteer call list, and Mary Arnzen, executive director of the Ohio River Valley Red Cross in Portsmouth, hopes to add 50 more.

“We’re trying to train local churches to have a group of maybe 10 people to be shelter trained for the Red Cross. That way, if anything happened in their community, they would be ready to help us. In their case, it could be providing the food for the shelter. If any church that has a group of people who would like to be disaster trained, we can do that for them,” Arnzen said.

House fires seem to be a particular concern in Scioto County. The Red Cross spent more than $48,000 in fiscal year 2009 providing aid to 86 families in single-family fires. Because fires are such a concern in Scioto County, the Red Cross participates in fire prevention activities with the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Portsmouth Fire Department at Portsmouth Elementary each year, in recognition of Fire Prevention Month. Last year they handed out free smoke detectors, and firefighters installed them in people’s homes for free.

“(The Fire Marshal’s Office) pay a lot of attention to us down here because I think there are so many home fires and they want to teach as much fire safety as they can,” Arnzen said.

When a house fire does occur, the Red Cross dispatches volunteers to help the family by getting them into a hotel, or providing them clothing vouchers from Kmart, and food vouchers.

“I always say we’re like the Mom of the disaster,” Arnzen joked.

The Red Cross is not government funded, and relies on donations from the community to afford the many valuable services it provides. Some of those donations include simple things like lawn care or carpet cleaning, or bigger things such as their office building located at 1801 Robinson Ave., in Portsmouth; which was donated by Jeff Smith Insurance. Arnzen said every penny the agency saves on operating costs is another penny that goes back into helping the community.

She said a large part of the agency’s budget comes from donations from organizations like United Way, Scioto Foundation, Marting’s Foundation, USEC and Southern Ohio Medical Center.

“The people here are so loving and so giving. We are so fortunate to be in this area. We always need more money, but people are very willing to give; and we have the best volunteers in the world,” Arnzen said.

On Nov. 12, the Red Cross will have a disaster mini-institute at Notre Dame School. Classes will be available for mental health workers and nurses, offering CEU credits. There also will be classes for people who want to help out in shelters.

The Red Cross also has blood drives throughout the region, collecting more than 3,300 units of blood. There is a blood drive on the fourth Tuesday of every month at All Saints Church, located on Fourth and Court streets in Portsmouth, from 1 to 6 p.m. All blood (and money) donated in our area will stay in our area, benefiting local residents in need.

“When you help the Red Cross locally, you’re helping your neighbors,” Arnzen said.

More information can be found on the Red Cross Web site, ohiorivervalley.redcross.org, or by calling (740) 354-3293. Visitors can register for classes, make a donation, or see a schedule of upcoming events all on the agency Web site.

RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 235, or e-mail pdtwriter@ryanscottottney.com.