UPDATE: RED CROSS MOVING SUPPLIES, VOLUNTEERS TO HELP PEOPLE ALONG MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Posted: May 9th, 2011 11:40 AM
The American Red Cross is ramping up to help people along the Mississippi River, where forecasters are predicting potentially catastrophic flooding may occur starting later this week. The Red Cross is sending trained volunteers, cots, blankets and vehicles to areas of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana threatened by the record flooding. Shelters are already opening in some parts of those states.
Locally, the Oregon Trail Chapter has deployed SEVEN volunteers who are already on the ground in Tennessee: DAPHNE MATHEW (Portland - Public Affairs), Mike Redlin (Portland - Shelter), Val Hammond (Portland - Disaster Mental Health), Nancy Price (St Helens - Transportation), Terry Kandle (Garabaldi - Food Services), Kathy Pearce (Boring - Shelter) and Larry Wiedenhoft (Manzanita - Technology).
In total, 40 Oregon volunteers are currently deployed to help with Red Cross relief efforts across the South, where deadly tornadoes destroyed or damaged as many as 13,000 homes in recent weeks. The Red Cross estimates the costs of its responses to the April tornadoes, flooding and other disasters since March 31 could reach $31 million-with the response to the Mississippi River flooding expected to drive relief expenses even higher. As of Thursday, May 5, the Red Cross had raised about $16 million for disaster response since March 31.
"The Red Cross is preparing for a large disaster response to major flooding along the Mississippi, even as we continue to assist thousands of people affected by the recent tornadoes," said Maree Wacker, Regional Executive for the Oregon Red Cross. "In the coming days and weeks we will need the support of this community to help our neighbors around the country."
The Red Cross is getting ready to launch a prolonged shelter and feeding operation for people living along the Mississippi, sending in disaster workers and pre-positioning thousands of cots, blankets and other relief supplies. Experts are warning that flood waters could remain in areas for as long as two weeks, forcing people to stay in shelters for more than a month.
Meanwhile, nearly 6,000 Red Cross workers are providing meals, shelter, hygiene and cleanup supplies and health and mental health services to people affected by the recent tornadoes. The Red Cross has launched 20 separate relief operations over more than half of the United States since March 31, responding to disasters from North Dakota to the East Coast and all throughout the South.
Since the end of March, the Red Cross has opened more than 170 shelters and provided more than 13,000 overnight stays, serving more than 1.2 million meals and snacks to people affected by wildfires, flooding and tornadoes.
Thousands of people have been affected by these disasters. Please consider making a donation today by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to any local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
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The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
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