No matter how well you've planned, emergencies do
happen. What should you do in case of an emergency while you are
traveling?
First of all make sure you have all your important papers with
you - not packed with your household goods. Numbers for the JOOD,
your Command Duty Office 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 the local phone
directory). They can sometimes help with emergency financial
assistance and contacting individuals that will need to know where you are and
what's happening.
Plan for the unexpected and it probably won't
happen.Navy Marine Corps Relief Society can provide financial emergency
assistance based upon need, through either loans or, when there is a particular
hardship, grants.
Categories of financial assistance
include: Basic living expenses (food, shelter, utilities), medical
not covered by CHAMPUS, dental not covered by DDP, 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 emergency. Quick communications with home about
family emergencies is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including
verification of death or serious illness of immediate family, birth
announcements to fathers deployed overseas, and health and welfare reports
resulting from a lack of communication 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 a greater hardship on the family. Examples of need
for financial assistance are: emergency leave expenses for the
service member 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 for convalescent leave expenses.