Bridgeton Township Municipal Building was surveyed on November 14th and subsequently approved by the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania as a temporary Emergency Shelter for the local area. Our building has served in the past as a marshalling area for evacuations, warming / cooling center, and cell-phone recharging station, but will now function, if needed, as an American Red Cross approved and supported Temporary Emergency Shelter.

Co-Emergency Management Coordinator Terry Kuntz spearheaded this effort for the township. Larry Daly, Regional Disaster Emergency Services Manager for the Red Cross, and Mary Limbert of the Bucks County Emergency Management Agency were instrumental in coordinating and completing this assessment and agreement.

This service supports the immediate needs of families during emergencies, providing shelter, water, toilets, beds, and emergency medical services for up to 10 people for up to three days under the auspices of the Township Emergency Management Team with Red Cross support. For larger emergencies, the agreement supports the Red Cross taking control of our facility, providing emergency services for up to 25 people while the Red Cross coordinates longer term support for displaced persons.  The Palisades High School remains the American Red Cross Emergency Shelter for regional emergencies.  Our municipal building serves our citizens during local emergencies, for which the Regional Emergency Shelter does not activate.

“The Bridgeton Municipality Building is a great option for smaller incidents that impact ten households or less. For these smaller incidents, this location would work well as a reception center to meet immediate needs and potentially transition into an overnight shelter if necessary. For larger incidents, it would act as a reception center before individuals are directed to a larger shelter at a different location,” Mary Limbert wrote in an email acknowledging the Red Cross certification.