Honoring Victims, Survivors & Responders of the Amtrak Derailment

By Colin Downey

On the final day of January inside the Washington State Senate Chamber in Olympia, members of the American Red Cross stood side-by-side survivors and first responders of the Amtrak train derailment in Dupont. An official Resolution (SR-8696) was read aloud.

Survivors and those who did not survive were honored and remembered.

Good Samaritans who acted bravely without regard for their own safety were celebrated.

Volunteers and employees of the Red Cross were thanked alongside the many first responders from local, state and federal government.

The Resolution concluded by acknowledging the life-saving efforts made by teams at 11 area hospitals.

Last week, nearly six weeks since the derailment, the Red Cross concluded its direct services to survivors. Emotional support services, offered by disaster mental health professionals who volunteer with the Red Cross, are often provided following disasters of this nature.

In the days and weeks following the derailment, Red Cross disaster mental health workers conducted more than 200 “contacts”, which included providing emotional support through meeting with survivors and their families at a family assistance center and phone calls.

In the immediate hours and days following the derailment, the Red Cross also worked in coordination with emergency officials to make available food, water and comfort items to survivors in Washington and Portland, OR, the train’s intended destination.

For more information on emotional responses, recovery and Red Cross services following a disaster, or to seek assistance yourself, please visit here.