THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 13, 1995 TAG: 9504110134
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
When Debra Register and her 2-month-old son were burned out of their Norfolk apartment in the middle of the night, local American Red Cross officials were there a few hours later with their pocketbook open.
``I don't know what we would have done without them,'' said Register, a 28-year-old Navy wife. ``Our apartment was just trashed.''
For two months, Register, her husband Robert and their son Brandon had lived in the Sussex Apartments on Norfolk's Birmingham Avenue with another young mother, 22-year-old Shannon Canoy, who has a 9-month-old son.
In the early hours of March 29, a fire sparked by an electrical malfunction broke through the roof of the complex, causing extensive smoke and water damage to apartments. One dwelling was completely gutted.
Eight families, including the Registers and Canoys, were left temporarily homeless. Robert Register, a ships serviceman, was at sea when the fire occurred.
The management of the Sussex Apartments arranged for the families to find shelter in a local hotel until the apartments could be repaired. But the Red Cross, through its emergency disaster fund, provided families with new clothing and mattresses, food and other necessities. Some families, like the Registers and Canoys, also were given additional help by the Red Cross in finding and paying for temporary shelter.
``There's not much left,'' Register said. ``We were able to save a little clothing, and there's some furniture left in the bedroom, but not much. We have a little money in the bank, but that won't go far. The Red Cross is really helping to give us a new start. They're making sure we won't go in the hole.''
That help, however, has cleaned out the disaster fund. The $83,000 annual fund, which is supposed to last until June, already has been spent on helping 139 Hampton Roads families who have been burned out of their homes during the past year. Two other families - one dislocated because of a gas leak and another whose home was damaged by a storm - also were given help this year.
Most of the money, however, went to fire victims.
``Unfortunately, this has been a bad year for fires,'' said Linda Hughes, Red Cross disaster specialist. ``If a family is burned out, we try and provide immediate services. That's costly. The bottom line is we're trying to raise funds every day, but sometimes it takes a natural disaster to make people realize how much it's needed.''
Officials note that this is not the first time the fund has run out of money. Last year, some $14,000 beyond the $76,000 budgeted for the fund was needed to cover the expenses of families in need.
``We just do extra fund-raising ... and, fortunately, the public has come through,'' Hughes said.
Public contributions are needed again. Two weeks ago, a $1,500 check was donated by a Norfolk individual to help the Sussex residents after news got out that the fund had been depleted.
Still more money will be needed to help fire victims during the next few months. April is a peak month for accidental fires, officials note.
``People need to remember that we're helping local families,'' added Sandra Cameron, the regional public relations coordinator for the Red Cross. ``(A fire) could happen to anyone ... whatever kind of neighborhood they live in. And when someone loses everything because of a disaster, where do they go? To the Red Cross. Historically, the Red Cross has always been there to help people rebuild their lives.
``But sometimes we need help, too.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Debra Register, left, her son Brandon, and Shannon Canoy were among
the eight families who were left temporarily homeless after a fire.
by CNB