American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom

The American Red Cross has one shelter open in Moore and is working on locating others; we continue to operate three shelters that were opened Sunday in the Oklahoma City area following the storms on Sunday.

Red Cross volunteers are out tonight with food and supplies supporting first responders.

More than 25 emergency response vehicles are positioned to move at first light Tuesday, and we expect that the number will increase. The Red Cross is also sending in kitchen support trailers to support the upcoming operation to provide meals to those forced out of their homes.

People in Oklahoma near the tornado area are encouraged to connect with one another and let loved ones know that they are safe. This can be done through the I’m Safe feature of the free Red Cross tornado app. In addition, if you have access to a computer, go to redcross.org/safeandwell to list yourself as safe. If not, you can text loved ones or call a family member and ask them to register you on the site.

This has been a major disaster, and the Red Cross will be there for the people in this state and this community. People who wish to make a donation can support American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps provide food, shelter and emotional support to those affected by disasters like the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma and Texas as well as disasters big and small throughout the United States by visiting redcross.org, dialing 1-800-REDCROSS or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Disaster Alert

Texas - Following a deadly tornado outbreak in North Texas last night, the American Red Cross established shelters to help residents displaced by the storms. More than 42 people spent the night at the First Christian Church shelter established in Granbury. It’s expected that families will still need shelter tonight.

The shelter established at the First United Methodist Church, 301 Loop 567 in Granbury has closed. Anyone still needing shetler in Hood County can go to the First Christian Church, 2109 West Hwy 377 in Granbury.

Red Cross teams are standing by to conduct a disaster assessment in the impact areas across Hood and Johnson Counties as well as other communities that have damage reports.

As assessments are conducted, updates will be provided.

May 4th, 2013: Opening Day for West Little League helps bring a bit of normalcy to this hard hit town.

Disaster Alert

California - A wild land fire that started in Banning, Riverside County yesterday has reportedly burnt about 3,000 acres and prompted some evacuations.

The Riverside County Chapter opened a shelter and provided canteen services.

Chapter is in the process of deploying a liaison to the Incident Command Post.
They may also deploy another liaison to the Banning City Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

The Inland Empire Chapter also has a shelter on stand-by.

The Region is monitoring the situation to determine whether its assistance will be needed.

Disaster Update

Tennessee, May 1 2013 - 

American Red Cross worker Bob Tyler loads food boxes to be distributed to residents of Stewart County, Tennessee.

In the four days since violent flash floods ripped through several small communities, the Red Cross has been working to help as families clean up their belongings and try to rebuild their homes and lives. Many local agencies have also stepped up to partner with the Red Cross in their relief efforts. The Southern Baptist Shower and Laundry Trailer arrived from Jackson, TN today, and is currently stationed outside the Carlisle Missionary Baptist Church in Carlisle for local residents to utilize.
“We are so appreciative of the support of our community partners like the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, Southern Baptists and Signature Healthcare for collaborating with us on this relief effort,” said Julie Campos, Executive Director of the Two Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross.

To date, in response to the flood, the Red Cross has served & distributed:

• 1,262 meals
• 1,100 snacks
• 5,250 bottles of water
• 311 clean-up kits
•  99 comfort kits and 2,130 bulk distribution items (i.e. shovels, mops, brooms and clean-up supplies) distribution items distributed throughout the communities.

Three shelters were initially opened in response to flash flooding in Clarksville (Montgomery County), Dover (Stewart County) and Erin (Houston County) 54 residents stayed in the shelters overnight on April 28th. The Red Cross has since sheltered a total of 99 residents overnight as of May 1st.

Read the rest of this entry »

The water just kept rising and rising in Lowell. Homes were surrounded by water in some neighborhoods including the one where Lowell and Brenda Raymor lived. While many of their neighbors went to higher ground, Lowell and Brenda stayed behind.

“We paid our last house payment this month,” Brenda said. “We officially own this house and we’re not leaving it!”

The Raymor’s home had water in the first floor. Their yard was completely flooded and some people had to use small boats to get around the neighborhood, but the Raymors were determined to stay at their home and keep watch.

“I’m the guy on his porch making sure the neighborhood stays safe,” said Lowell. He’s also the guy with a huge heart, bringing back supplies from Red Cross to help his community recover from the flood damage.

Volunteers at a Red Cross shelter gave the Raymors a shovel, snacks, bottled water, and clean-up kits, which have cleaning supplies, gloves, a mop, and more. The Raymors then took those things back to their home and shared extra supplies with their neighbors.

Written by Jana Sweeny

The streets were lined with people. Young and old, dressed in suits and motorcycle jackets, and lots of clothing indicating where people’s hearts were – Boston. The memorial service for the victims of last Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing had a tone of resilience and community.

People were careful with each other, making sure strollers and wheel chairs could get by on the very crowded sidewalks. They waited patiently outside as police patrolled the crowds, talking about their experiences, but mostly talking about how much they love Boston.

Shane Manfred, owner of Boma, a restaurant near the Cathedral of the Holy Cross stepped outside to put up a “B Strong” banner and then slid back the doors opening his restaurant to the street. Even though they aren’t normally open at that hour, he invited people inside and turned on the TV so that people could listen to the service. People immediately gathered inside and near the opening. They held each other’s hands and shared tables with strangers.

American Red Cross’s disaster mental health workers circulated among the crowd, stopping to talk to people. Some needed to tell their stories, many cried as strangers reached over and gave them an understanding pat on their backs.

Kate Taylor listens Julio Cesar from Mexico who was in town to run in the Boston Marathon.

Julio Cesar began chatting with Red Cross volunteer, Kate Taylor, a trauma nurse from Port Charlotte, FL, and then began to tell his story. He is a volunteer for the Boston Athletic Association and was proudly wearing his yellow windbreaker with the insignia. He is a runner who likes to volunteer at the race every year.

When the blast occurred 100 feet from him he ran towards it to see how he could help. “Everything immediately went from happy to devastated- in an instant,” he said.

His immediately began receiving panicked text messages from family and friends in Mexico. Later that night, when he finally got home he tried to tell his family about what he saw, but he couldn’t capture it in words. He began to cry and cried for hours. He has had trouble sleeping and goes out running to clear his mind and to exhaust himself so he can rest.

Kate listened and hugged him while his eyes filled with tears. After he finished his story, she began, very gently to offer advice on how he can deal with his shock and grief. She took his information so a volunteer can follow up with him to ensure he has access to counseling services and make sure that he is doing OK.

After a few minutes, Kate moved on to offer someone else comfort and Julio began to talk to the person next to him, sharing their stories and their grief and beginning to recover together.

Disaster Alert

Texas - The American Red Cross is in close contact with emergency management officials in West, Texas regarding the explosion of a fertilizer plant. Right now, Red Cross teams from as far south as Austin and as far north as DFW will be working side-by-side to meet the needs of any residents who need help. The first step that is being taken now is to identify a safe shelter for residents to go to if they can’t stay in their homes. Once a shelter is identified, an update will be sent.

The caring faces of American Red Cross volunteers greeted runners as they arrived at the multi-service center which was coordinated by Boston Office of Emergency Management and supported by many voluntary organizations.

Rows of yellow bags, which were abandoned when runners were diverted from the race route were lined up waiting to be claimed. Runners not only received their bags, but also their medals and a big congratulations for their accomplishment. Nearly 500 bags were picked up over the course of the day.

Red Cross mental health volunteers circulated among the runners offering a listening ear if people wanted to discuss their experience. They provided hugs, smiles and stuffed toys to children who came in with their parents.

Additionally, Red Cross volunteers helped coordinate unexpected needs like assisting with rescheduling flights. They helped runners register themselves on Safe and Well and worked with international consulates locate foreign nationals who had not checked in yet with their families. Volunteers also handed out food and snacks.

The highlight of the day came when a frantic woman called looking for her son and volunteers were able to confirm he was safe and doing fine.

One well loved volunteer, Bailey the dog and his handler Jack Foley from DogBONES, an animal therapy group, offered snuggles to all and when one runner who was staring fondly at Bailey mentioned her legs were too sore from the race to bend down, Jack had Bailey sit up so she could reach him.

Even though many runners were still stunned from yesterday’s events, they smiled when volunteers offered to take their photos as their medal was placed around their neck, recognizing that in the midst of this tragic event they had accomplished something special.