Red Cross to Meet With Fire Victims About Finding New Homes

Raleigh, N.C. — Two separate fires destroyed the homes of more than 100 people in Raleigh. The Red Cross immediately stepped in to provide food, clothing and hotel vouchers. But now time is running out for 36 families to find permanent housing.

Thirty-six families totaling 102 people have stayed at hotels using Red Cross vouchers. All of the families have had their lives disrupted by Thursday’s fires at Pine Knoll Townes and the Pines of Ashton communities.

A hotel room at the Comfort Inn Suites has been a temporary residence for Randolyn Hinton and Manuel Davis. The room is filled with donated goods, which is all that they have left to call their own.

“I never thought that it would happen to me,” Hinton said.

They lost nearly everything on Thursday in the fire that ripped through the Pine Knoll Townes community. But now that the vouchers are running out, Hinton and Davis said Sunday night be their last evening in their hotel room.

"Hopefully I can find somewhere for me to stay and just go on with my life,” Hinton said.

The Red Cross will begin meeting with families early Monday morning to gauge their plans.

"Our first step is to get people in temporary shelter,” said Red Cross representative Barry Porter. “That's why we put them up through the weekend. Then we'll meet with them tomorrow morning. We're not going to leave anyone homeless."

The local chapter of the Red Cross said that because of the large number of people being affected by the fires, they have tapped into the national fund to assist families. They are also accepting donation to help victims.

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Uh NC4CAD, I'm 50 and have had plenty of experience. Bottom line is that anyone who is not personally injured and who can not protect themselves against any disaster and provide for self-recovery in the aftermath is not prepared. If you really want to see how important it is to be prepared, download an Excel file at http://www15.pageplanet.com/disasters.xls It's pretty much self-explanatory, but just look at the matrix and start adding the numbers for your scenario. Services start straining badly when you hit an 8 or so. They do not exist when you get above 15 to 18. You need to be personally prepared to shelter in place to at least 30 and prepared to bug out above that. By example, this fire was about a seven. The Raleigh ice storm was about a 10. The Apex fire was around 15, Fran was about a 35 and Katrina was about 50.

Steve Crisp
February 26, 2007 2:48 p.m.

new momma - it is not a renters' policy that is needed, it is a 'H0-6' and it costs far more than 'about a $100 per year'. The actual cost is dependent upon the amount of insurance that you need - $100 per year would not even cover my cookware, let alone my furniture, my clothing, the upgrades to my unit etc.

seankelly15
February 26, 2007 12:24 p.m.

wral -at- pageplanet: I was reading all the postings that you posted and I am a bit disgusted with you. Its so obviously you are young and/or you dont have the 'experince' in the real world. I got flash news - life is NEVER that simple or in the way YOU want it to be! Life is full of unexpected experiences.. I know that from my experience. So... When something like this happen to you, get back to us and tell us how that went... in the meanwhile, put yourself in other people's shoes!

NC4CAD
February 26, 2007 12:11 p.m.

A lot of people are ignorant about insurance...trust me...if it wasn't the law to carry insurance on your vehicle, many uneducated people wouldn't carry it. a renter's policy will cost you about 100 dollars a year...if you can afford to move into a brand new townhouse, you can afford about 10 dollars a month

new momma
February 26, 2007 10:46 a.m.

wral -at- pageplanet -- you are making assumptions about restricted communities that are not based in fact (I will ignore the shrill tone and the complete lack of empathy). Town homes/condos are covered by a blanket hazard policy that covers the structures. The policy is held by the HOA; only the HOA can initiate the claim (and the insurance company would select the contractor). Separate from the hazard policy would be the equivalent of a renters’ policy that would cover the contents and out-of-pocket expenses (motel rooms or other temporary housing, replacement clothing, household items, etc.). This policy must be purchased by the homeowner; the HOA provides no coverage. These folks may not have understood the need to purchase additional insurance because homeowner's insurance is not available to them.

seankelly15
February 26, 2007 10:37 a.m.