By By Lisa Tindell, news reporter
The smoke had not even cleared, and Red Cross director Rogene Martin was on the scene.
Those disasters are unpredictable and sometimes come one behind the other in quick succession, Martin said.
Doing that takes money — money the Brewton Red Cross, like many volunteer fire departments, simply doesn’t have.
Martin said the amount of money received this year would probably only cover one, possibly two, single-family fire disasters.
Martin said the money from the national office of the American Red Cross is much like having an insurance policy with a very high deductible. “If there is a major disaster, the first $50,000 is our responsibility,” Martin said. “After that amount has been reached, then the national office will send us some funds for assistance. We don’t have $50,000.”
Because of the lack of expected funds this year, Martin said residents in Brewton and surrounding communities shouldn’t be surprised to see Red Cross volunteers holding fund raisers and asking for donations.
To contribute to the local Red Cross, you may call their office at 867-3426 or drop contributions by their office located at 1014 Douglas Ave.