As they watch bright orange flames devour what used to be their home, the Johnson family is devastated.
They feel alone and uncertain of what to do next or even where they’ll spend the night or eat their next meal.
This particular story is fictitious, but the same scenario happens to real families across the country every day.
That’s where the Canadian Red Cross can step in, offering food, clothing and lodging to ease the burden of a sudden catastrophe.
Now the Red Cross is asking Flin Flon city council to roll out the welcome mat for the organization’s Personal Disaster Assistance (PDA) program.
“We provide immediate assistance to meet the basic needs of people experiencing crisis,” Beverly Erickson, northern community outreach coordinator for the Red Cross, told council Tuesday.
Erickson said the PDA would operate around the clock with trained volunteers covering a 100-km area (by road) around Flin Flon.
Teams of two volunteers each would respond not only to house fires, but also to disasters such as severe sewage back-ups and localized flooding.
In addition to the basics of food, clothing and lodging, the PDA would offer hygiene items, blankets, plush toys for children, referrals to other agencies and all-important moral support.
“What we’re there for is to try to reduce the trauma so that [victims] are better able and capable of dealing with tomorrow,” Erickson said.
“It’s not [to] come in and fight your house fire or take over from your fire department. It’s to provide that personal assistance to that family.”
Erickson asked council to support the Red Cross’s offer of PDA services to the community and region. There is no cost to the city, though it would be hoped council would encourage the use of the Red Cross’s disaster hotline.
The specifics of how the PDA would operate in Flin Flon are not carved in stone.
“The role that the Red Cross would play is totally dependent upon what the community requests of the Red Cross,” Erickson said.
Coun. Colleen McKee spoke favourably of endorsing the PDA, as did Mayor Cal Huntley, who said council would announce its decision in the near future and that it would likely be favourable.
In an interview, Erickson said the Red Cross hopes to have the PDA running in Flin Flon in 2016. She hopes to get 10 volunteers to ensure 24/7 coverage.
She said all volunteer training and costs are covered by the Red Cross, with volunteers required to pass vulnerable-sector and child-abuse registry checks.
“We are working with vulnerable people,” Erickson said. “Even if you’re not a vulnerable person, at the time of the disaster you’re vulnerable.”
If council endorses the PDA, Erickson said she will also approach Creighton and Denare Beach for their support.
