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ARMED FORCES EMERGENCY
SERVICES
Community
Social Services offers Armed Forces Emergency Services
| American Red Cross services to Military Members
and their Families in
Riverside
County
is made possible
in part by a grant from Sempra. |
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Providing
emergency communications anywhere in the world. You're never out of touch;
around the clock, around the world, you can depend on the American Red Cross.
Servicemen and women know they can count on the Red Cross to help them stay in
touch with their families and offer assistance when emergencies arise. Every 11
seconds, the Red Cross helps a current or former member of the armed forces or
one of their family members. 40,000 to 50,000 messages go out every
year!
Emergency
Communications Services American Red Cross communication services keep military
personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of
a family member or other important events, such as the birth of a child. The Red
Cross sends messages quickly, anywhere in the world, including ships at sea,
embassies and to isolated military units. The information or verification in a
message assists the service member's commanding officer in making a decision
regarding emergency leave.
Contacting the Red Cross to Send an
Emergency Message
Active duty service members stationed in the United States
and their immediate family members can call the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency
Service Centers for help seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The
toll-free number is (800) 951-5600.
Overseas personnel stationed on military installations
should call base or installation operators or the on-base Red Cross
offices.
At overseas
deployment sites, contact the American Red Cross deployed staff. When
calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member, please
have ready the following information which will speed the process of sending
your message:
• Service Member’s Full Name
• Branch of Service
• Social
Security Number
• Military Address
• Information about the deployed unit
and the home base unit
(for deployed service members
only)
Emergency Financial Assistance
The Red Cross works with the
military aid societies (Army Emergency Relief, Navy Marine Corps Relief Society,
Air Force Aid Society and the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance). This partnership
helps to provide financial assistance for emergency travel which requires
the presence of the service member or his or her family, burial of a loved one,
or with assistance that cannot wait until the next business day (food, temporary
lodging, urgent medical needs, or the minimum amount required to avoid eviction,
utility shut off, etc.).
In 2002, the Red Cross administered a new
assistance program that National Guard and Reserve troops could tap when no
other financial resources were available.
In 2004, the American Red
Cross, in partnership with the military aid societies, provided $4,223,137 in
emergency financial aid to 4,863 service members, their families, retired
military personnel and widows of retired military personnel.
How to
obtain emergency financial assistance:
Active duty service members
stationed in the United States and their immediate family members can call the
Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Service Centers for help seven days a week, 24
hours a day, 365 days a year. The toll-free telephone number is available
through base or installation operators and from local on-base Red Cross
offices.
Members of the National Guard
and Reserves and retirees may access assistance through their local Red Cross
chapter. Our toll-free telephone number in Riverside County (800) 951-5600
is available 24 hours a
day, 365 days a year.
On overseas military
installations, military personnel may access assistance through their local
on-base Red Cross office. In overseas deployment areas, contact the
American Red Cross staff who are working directly with America's military to
provide Red Cross services.
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Armed Forces Emergency Services