Fairfax, Va. (Dec. 24, 2009) – The American Red Cross in the National Capital Region responded to a four-alarm fire in Prince George’s County on Christmas Eve. The fire in an apartment complex displaced 40 families from their apartments at 6394 Maxwell Drive in Camp Springs, Md., near Andrews Air Force Base, on Christmas Eve. Many families lost everything in the fire, including all their holiday gifts.

The local Red Cross responded shortly after 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and assisted all families who were present and expressed a need for help. The Red Cross provided emergency shelter for several families with nowhere to go, and provided financial assistance to meet the immediate emergency needs of the families.

The Church of the Great Commission on Allentown Road provided a warm place for the families to relax until their needs could be addressed by the Red Cross. In addition, many local fire and police responders stopped in to offer to deliver toys for children. The rental office for the apartment complex agreed to be the collection site for toys, and will distribute the gifts to the affected families. Donations of toys or other goods can be dropped off at:  Courts of Camp Spring, 5327 Carswell Avenue, Suitland, MD 20746, Phone: 301-899-8800

All disaster operations are coordinated and headquartered in the Red Cross’ Regional Disaster Coordination Center. The RDCC, a state-of-the-art facility, located in Red Cross Regional headquarters in Fairfax, serves as a coordination and communication hub in the event of a local or regional disaster. This facility, made possible through a generous corporate donation from Shopper’s Food, is equipped with top-of-the-line technology and gives our expert disaster response team the ability to track a disaster as it develops, to work with and communicate effectively with government officials and community partners (many of whom have a seat in the RDCC for use during a disaster), and to respond in the most efficient and effective manner to help save lives.
 
The American Red Cross in the National Capital Region is a volunteer-led organization that provides relief to victims of disaster and empowers people in the D.C. Metro Area to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and other life-threatening emergencies. Financially supported by the generosity of the local community, the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year responding daily to local disasters while continuing to build its capacity to effectively prepare for and respond to the next major disaster to strike our community. The region consists of the National Capital Area chapter (the counties of Prince George’s, Montgomery and Fairfax; the District of Columbia; the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church and field offices at Fort Belvoir, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Andrews Air Force Base, National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health) and chapters in Alexandria, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William.

Tax-deductible donations may be made to the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region by calling 703-584-8400 or calling the RDCC at 703-584-8766.

For details on the services of the RDCC or the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region, or for other media assistance, contact:

Communications & Media Contacts:
Kathy Thompson
O:   703-584-8412 / C:  240-375-9020
E-mail:Thompsonk@redcrossnca.org

Cheryl Kravitz
C: 301-580-8905  /  H: 301-439-1531
Email:  crk725@aol.com

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