Throughout our 4 county region, Disaster Services staff and trained volunteers respond to house and apartment fires on a regular basis.

Red Cross trained workers are ready to respond whenever a disaster strikes, not only in our counties, but anywhere in the country when there is a need. We provide the following services to help affected individuals and communities return to normal living conditions as soon as possible:

• Emergency food and clothing
• Prescription coverage & medical assistance
• Safe, dry, temporary shelter
• Emotional support to victims and families
• Damage assessment to determine the number of homes and families affected
• Information to the media and local government officials
• Emergency communications and inquiries for service members and their families

Disaster response is primarily provided by volunteer Disaster Action Teams (DATs), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

If you need help, please call our main number day or night at :
231-947-7286

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Emergency Communication

The American Red Cross provides a vital communication lifeline between military service members and their families. It relays urgent information during times of emergency.

Whether it is a family crisis, a death in the family, a financial emergency, or a joyous birth, the American Red Cross can relay the information to service members stationed anywhere in the world. The Red Cross is uniquely equipped with the latest technology to provide an exclusive, around-the-clock 24 Hour communications and emergency support network. For the American soldier and his or her family, the Red Cross is the connection to home.

Nobody ever said being in the military was going to be easy for yourself or your family. Adjustments have to be made. Problems will arise. The good news is that the American Red Cross is here to help you and your family. By calling us, you will have access to a wide variety of services available to military members and their dependents, for both emergency and non-emergency situations.

Call us at (231) 492-4781 and ask to speak to a Military Caseworker for emergency assistance 24 hours/day, 365 days/year.

What You Should Have When You Call

Please have the following information in hand when you call, as it will greatly help us deliver the message to the service member in the fastest manner. (If you do not have this information, we may still be able to locate and deliver the message, but it will take more time).
Service Member's:

• Service Members Full Name
• Rank/Rating
• Branch of Service
• Social Security Number 
• Full Military Address (Unit Number, Battalion, etc.) 
• Date of Birth 
• Doctor/Hospital/Funeral Home's name, location, and phone number, with alternate numbers if possible. We will need to verify the situation with the Doctor/Caretaker directly.

Counseling, information & referral, and other social services

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International Family Tracing Services

 Armed conflict and natural disasters leave millions of people around the globe in urgent need of humanitarian assistance every year.  Red Cross Tracing Services and Red Cross Messages help families locate each other, send communications, and learn each other’s fate. Although tracing loved ones can take a long time, families need closure.
                        

Tracing assistance is provided to people in the community who have been separated from their relatives (citizens of other countries) as a result of war, civil disturbances, natural disaster, or changing world conditions over which the individual has no control. Tracing services for victims of war have their foundation in the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols.

Red Cross Messages are written messages sent between prisoners of war and their relatives through Red Cross channels, usually when no other communication is possible. Red Cross Message service may also be available to civilian victims of war, especially when postal services have completely collapsed.

International Disaster Welfare Inquiries are health and welfare inquiries sent to alleviate distress when normal direct communication between family members is disrupted and attempts to reestablish contact between a person in the United States and a close relative who is a citizen of another country have failed.

International Humanitarian Law is the body of laws and principles that seeks to save lives and alleviate suffering of combatants and noncombatants during armed conflicts. Its principal legal documents are the Geneva Conventions of 1949, four treaties signed by almost all states (nations) around the world. The Geneva Conventions specifically protect members of the armed forces who are wounded, sick or shipwrecked, prisoners of war, and civilians. (Also sometimes referred to as "the law of armed conflict" or the "law of war.")
Holocaust Tracing Program is part of our tracing services.   Established by the Red Cross,  the Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center is a national clearing house for United States residents seeking the fates of loved ones missing since World War II and its aftermath.  If you are one of these survivors, the American Red Cross can help.  

All of our tracing services are confidential and free of charge.

To begin your search, call our International Social Services office at (231) 947-7286

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