American Red Cross

MORRISVILLE, Mo. -- A second grade girl saved her family from a burning mobile home early Monday.  The fire started around 3:30 a.m. in the 1400 block of East 515 Road just west of Missouri 13. The girl woke up and saw smoke coming from the kitchen.  She alerted her parents to the fire.  Her father tried to put it out but wasn't successful.  The parents, girl and another adult relative escaped from the home. Investigators are trying to find the cause.  The American Red Cross is assisting the family.

Webster County, MO --A Webster county family has lost their home to an overnight fire.  It happened in the 3700 block of Skyline Road, which is near Clear Springs Road. The Southern Webster County Fire Protection District says three adults were home at the time.  One person was awake, and noticed the smoke and flames. No one was hurt.  The fire was fully involved when fire crews arrived, and the home is a total loss. Crews from Marshfield and Logan-Rogersville were also dispatched to help.  Investigators say the fire started with an electrical problem in a bedroom.  The American Red Cross was on scene to assist the family.

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- A woman has turned to Google and the American Red Cross in her search for missing relatives.  Mickey Ingalls grew up in Sendai and, as of Tuesday morning, had not heard from her brother, sister and niece since the quake hit on March 10.  Ingalls is now registered with the Red Cross Family Links and Google's People Finder. The Red Cross reports on its website that the vast majority of missing people are from "the Prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate, Fukushima, Tochigi and Ibaraki.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Some 325 Allegiant Airlines passengers en route to Cedar Rapids, IA and Moline, IL had to make an unscheduled pit stop at the Springfield-Branson National Airport today.  Two flights, originating in Las Vegas, NV, were diverted to the airport as the strong winter storm swept across the Midwest, diverting hundreds of flights from coast to coast. While most of the passengers are opting to stay in nearby hotels, nearly 40 decided to tough out the night in the terminal.  The American Red Cross set up a temporary shelter inside the airport, with cots and warm food for the stranded passengers.  Airport officials told passengers they would be put on new Allegiant flights to Moline and Cedar Rapids between 9:00 am and 10:00 am Friday morning.

MONETT, Mo., -- It's not unusual for the American Red Cross to set up shop in Monett every couple months, but there was something special about a blood drive on Monday that drew a few new donors.     "Christopher was such a kind young man, this is the least of things I could do to for him in his honor," explained Karen Brosi, who works at the high school where Christopher Stark attended. Army Specialist Christopher Stark is hero who came home last month--to be buried; the 22-year old soldier was killed in Afghanistan.

It hasn't snowed yet, but when it does, those who keep things rolling are ready. "We still have virtually all the salt that we had last year.  We have about 29,000 tons in our district and we have all of our materials but we are always stocked up at the beginning of a winter," says Dan Ream of MoDOT. After a mild winter last year, MoDot did a dry run anyway this year to make sure drivers are ready and know their routes. "We worked out a few bugs that may have cropped up during the winter," Ream says.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Springfield fire marshal says careless smoking caused the fire at Chardonnay Apartments, 820 E. Montclair St., on Wednesday morning.  A resident put cigarette butts in a tin can on a second floor balcony and the butts caught something on fire, the fire marshal said. The Springfield Fire Department got the first call about the fire at 6:15 a.m.   The building that burned has 48 apartments and about 75 residents.  No residents were hurt.  Two firefighters sustained minor injuries.  Assistant Fire Chief Randy Villines estimates the damage at $2 million.  He doesn't believe residents will be able to move back for some time because of fire, smoke and water damage.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Ninety-nine 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.

Springfield, MO: The American Red Cross says, "being prepared means being equipped with the proper supplies you may need in the event of an emergency. " You're advised to keep your supplies in an easy-to-carry emergency preparedness kit that you can use at home or take with you in case you must evacuate. At a minimum, you should have the basic supplies listed below: Water - one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home) Food - non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)