Friday, June 13, 2008 — The American Red Cross anticipates spending millions as it moves forward with relief efforts for the victims of flooding and tornadoes across seven states, an enormous geographic area. From Kansas to West Virginia, the Red Cross is present with vast amounts of clean up supplies, dozens of shelters and tens of thousands of meals.   

Already, more than 1,400 Red Cross workers are assisting people in the affected area, and the organization is gearing up to provide additional relief. The current relief operations follow two extremely busy months for the Red Cross, with 27 disaster operations in April and May.  These operations will cost the Red Cross millions of dollars and the help of the American public is needed to meet the growing needs.

The Highlands Chapter of the American Red Cross is preparing to send this weekend at least three more volunteers to aid in relief efforts in Iowa.  Earlier this week the chapter, which serves Cumberland, Harnett, Sampson, Hoke and Bladen counties, sent two volunteers to Iowa and Indiana.

“Our first priority in flooding is to provide shelter and food for people in the immediate area until the waters recede and recovery can begin,” said Joe Becker, senior vice president, Disaster Services for the American Red Cross. “But the help we give depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public.”

Over the past days, the Red Cross has responded to tornados in Kansas, and floods in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Indiana and West Virginia. Thousands of people are staying in more than 41 shelters and more than 115,000 meals and snacks have been served. This spring, the American Red Cross responded to more than 30 large scale disasters due to severe weather.

The Red Cross is coordinating with local emergency officials, community organizations and faith-based groups to pre-position relief supplies, such as cots, blankets and comfort kits, and is preparing to open additional shelters if needed.

“We are concerned for the more than 500,000 people who live within five miles of this stretch of the Mississippi River as the floods move south,” Becker said. “Red Cross chapters along the river are monitoring the situation, and are prepared to mobilize resources to respond.”

The Red Cross encourages those affected to register their status on the Safe and Well Web site on http://www.redcross.org/ so loved ones can know they are safe.  (See additional information at bottom)

It is anticipated that relief efforts will cost tens of millions of dollars. In order to quickly respond to anyone with disaster-caused needs, the Red Cross must have money available immediately. This emergency resource is provided by the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Visit http://www.redcross.org/ to find out the latest information and learn how you can help; you can also visit http://redcrossmidwestflooding.wordpress.com/maps/ to view an interactive map for the current Red Cross response.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the tornadoes and floods in the Central United States, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter at 807 Carol Street  Fayetteville, NC 28303. . Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting http://www.redcross.org/.

 

 

http://redcrossmidwestflooding.wordpress.com/

 

http://www.redcross.org/news/photoessays/midwest/floods/08/

 

As rising floodwaters continue to destroy homes and threaten communities across much of the Midwest and West Virginia, the American Red Cross urges affected residents to register themselves and their loved ones on the Safe and Well website. In the past 24 hours, more than 31 individuals have registered, allowing family and friends around the country to know of their status. Disasters often make it difficult to stay in touch with loved ones but Safe and Well is an easy way to assist people seeking to locate those who’ve registered their status during emergencies.

Once an individual registers on Safe and Well, loved ones across the country can search the site and read messages. As residents of five states continue to feel the full impact of the recent tornadoes, severe storms and flooding – in Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, West Virginia and Wisconsin – registering on Safe and Well can bring great peace of mind to people trying to contact them. 

“At the American Red Cross we want to make difficult situations like this a little bit easier by giving families and friends a resource to get this important information,” said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Disaster Services. “Knowing that those we care about are safe is a relief that allows people to focus on what to do next.”

The Safe and Well website is easy to use:

1.       Visit RedCross.org, and click on the Safe and Well link

2.       If you are currently being affected by these disasters,  click: “List Myself as Safe and Well”, enter your pre-disaster address and phone number, and select any of the standard message options

3.       If you are concerned about a loved one, click “Search” and enter the person’s name and pre-disaster phone number OR address.  If they have registered, you will be able to view the messages that they posted.

4.       If you don’t have internet access, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to register yourself and your family. Follow the prompts for disaster information.

Safe and Well is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is accessible in both English and Spanish.