American Red Cross Disaster Newsroom

WASHINGTON, September 4, 2010 – The American Red Cross has provided help and shelter from North Carolina to New England as Hurricane Earl and its winds and rain moved up the Atlantic Coast.

Friday night, twelve Red Cross shelters in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave nearly 100 people a safe place to ride out the storm as Earl moved past Cape Cod with strong winds and heavy rain. Thursday night, a dozen Red Cross shelters in North Carolina gave more than 260 people comfort as the storm passed through that area.

The Red Cross deployed 500 trained disaster workers and 62 emergency response vehicles to North Carolina, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island to be ready for Hurricane Earl, and had additional vehicles, staff and supplies on standby.

“The Red Cross provided shelter and comfort to people as Hurricane Earl moved up the coast,” said Joe Becker, senior vice president, Red Cross Disaster Services. “Just as we ask each of you to be ready for disasters, the Red Cross practices preparedness by having trained workers and supplies in position before hurricanes come ashore so we can be ready to help as soon as the danger passes. This time much of the East Coast was spared a direct hit by a powerful hurricane, but we’re going to take the steps necessary to be ready when severe weather threatens.”

According to area officials, Earl weakened to a tropical storm and had little impact on Cape Cod and the surrounding areas, causing no major damage and few power outages. The storm is now headed towards Canada, and is expected to weaken further.

The Red Cross worked closely with various state, county and local government officials along the Atlantic coast on emergency planning for the storm in states such as North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

While it has moved away, Earl is expected to continue to cause powerful rip currents that are likely to be seen along the Atlantic Coast throughout the Labor Day weekend. The Red Cross advises anyone visiting the shore areas to swim only on lifeguard protected beaches and within designated swimming areas.

To make a financial donation to the Red Cross to help people affected by this storm and other disasters here in the United States and around the world, people can click, call or text – visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The storm may also impact blood collections in the affected areas. To find out how you can be a blood donor, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

About the American Red Cross:

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.