No matter how well you've planned, emergencies do
happen. What should you do in case of an emergency.
First of
all make sure you have all your important papers with you - not packed in your
household goods. Numbers for your Commander, Orderly Room, and your
sponsor can be invaluable in case of an emergency while in transit.
The
American Red Cross is always available for emergency aid anywhere you may be.
Contact the nearest chapter (phone numbers are usually listed in the white pages
of phone directory). They can sometimes help with emergency financial
assistance and contacting individuals who will need to know where you are and
what's happening.
You can also get financial assistance from the Air
Force Aid Society at most Air Force installations or go to an Army base to the
Army Emergency Relief Office or Navy Emergency Relief on Navy and Marine
installations.Air Force Aid Society can provide financial emergency assistance
based upon need, through either interest free loans or, when there is a
particular hardship, grants. Categories of financial assistance
include: Basic living expenses (food, shelter, utilities), medical not covered
by TRICARE, dental not covered by Tricare Family Dental Plan, funeral expenses,
emergency transportation, essential car repairs, pay and allotment problems,
disasters and assistance for widows, mothers and children.
The American
Red Cross can also help in times of an emergency. Quick
communications with home about family emergencies is available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, including verification of death or serious illness or
immediate family, birth announcements to fathers deployed overseas, and health
and welfare reports resulting from a lack of communications over a long period
of time.
The American Red Cross also offers financial assistance for
military personnel and their immediate families in the form of interest free
loans or grants when a loan would place great hardship on the
family. Examples of need for financial assistance are: emergency
leave expenses for the service person or his/her family member; for family
necessities which may result when an allotment check is not received or delayed;
for personal needs of an essential and emergency nature; and convalescent leave
expenses.
For more information see Contacts/Links