It has been a week since the Las Vegas music festival shooting on October 1, 2017. Las Vegas, a city known for glitter and glamour was hit hard with 59 fatalities and 500 injured. Within the first 24 hours, Red Cross responders from Colorado were on the way to help.
Mass casualty events are difficult no matter what the circumstance is but when you are dealing with the nation’s worst shooting disaster in history many people would turn the other way. The Red Cross turns toward the people in need and in this case local volunteers were on the ground as early as 5 a.m. on Monday.
Meanwhile in Colorado, the word went out to a small group to provide immediate support. Flights were booked and arrangements were made for a quick response. The teams arrived late Monday and hit the ground running on Tuesday. Experts from Disaster Mental Health, Government Relations, Public Affairs and Community Partners.
Dan Mosley served as the lead for the Disaster Mental Health teams who have been working one-on-one with the survivors and the families in the community and at the Family Assistance Center. “This is a healing place,” Mosley said about the Family Assistance Center. “We wanted it to be a place where people felt safe so that they could open up about their experience and concerns.”
The Colorado team, part staff and part volunteer moved quickly to support our friends in Las Vegas. According to Mike Masto, regional disaster officer, “They would do the same for us because we are one Red Cross.”
By the end of the first week, Red Cross mental health professionals and health services responders had met with more than 2,200 people and Red Cross caseworkers had opened nearly 140 support cases for people affected by the tragedy.
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| (L-R) Bill Fortune, Pat Chappel, Dan Mosley, Julianna Lockte, Mike Masto and Steve Kay. Not shown but also on the team: Yadira Rodriguez |