Southern Mo. Region Red Cross volunteers put in nearly 26,000 hours after Superstorm Sandy | News

(KFVS) - The American Red Cross announced recently that 99 staff and volunteers of the Southern Missouri Chapter provided nearly 26,000 hours of aid in the Superstorm Sandy recovery after the storm struck the East Coast.

Since late October, 298 Red Cross members from across Missouri have worked 61,608 hours in the disaster area providing $1.7 million in labor up to Jan. 16.

”Our dedicated members always step up when needed. They are the lifeblood of the American Red Cross doing the hard work,” said Kristofer “Luke” Bolz, Chief Volunteer Services Officer for the Southern Missouri Region. “No doubt they will continue to respond to the needs of Sandy victims as well as future disasters.”

Bolz singled out the work of David Sewell, a volunteer casework specialist from the chapter’s Lebanon office. Sewell gave 81 days of labor aiding Sandy’s victim – the highest total by an individual in the southern region that covers 40 counties.

The Missouri effort is part of the American Red Cross force of 16,800 trained workers from across America who have aided in the Sandy recovery in the past 3 months. About 90 percent of them are volunteers. Three months after landfall, more than 1,000 Red Cross workers remain on the scene, providing food, water and emotional support to people in need. Since Sandy made landfall, the Red Cross says they have:

• Served more than 11 million meals and snacks.
• Distributed more than 6.9 million relief items like blankets and cleaning supplies.
• Provided more than 109,000 health and mental health contacts for those affected, many of whom lost everything they owned during the storm.
• Provided nearly half (81,000) of the total 163,000 shelter stays by a range of groups.

According to the Red Cross, Missourians that have responded to Superstorm Sandy include:

Southern Missouri Region:

• 99 deployments
• 92 volunteers and 7 staff
• 16 second and third deployments for volunteers
• 2,153 the total number of days on job
• 21 days on average assignment
• 81 days on job is highest total by one individual (David Sewell)
• 25,836 hours (at 12 hour days) which amounts to a monetary value of $705,839 in labor according to Independent Sector for the value of a volunteer hour in the New York/New Jersey area ($27.32/hour)

TOTAL FOR MISSOURI AS OF 1/16/2013

• 298 deployments
• 271 volunteers and 27 staff
• 52 second and third deployments for volunteers
• 5,134 the total number of days on job
• 17 days on average assignment
• 92 days on job is highest total by one individual
• 61,608 hours (at 12 hour days) which amounts to a monetary value of $1,683,130 in labor

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