WASHINGTON, June 25, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
American Red Cross is responding to two massive disasters in the
East and West, helping people who have lost everything to the
raging wildfires in California and
the devastating flooding in West
Virginia.
"Our volunteers are helping people affected by the wildfires out
west and the terrible flooding in West
Virginia," said Brad
Kieserman, vice president, Disaster Services Operations and
Logistics for the Red Cross. "We have more than 400 Red Cross
workers helping now and are monitoring the situations with local
and state officials to make sure people get the help they
need."
HOW TO HELP These are large relief responses and the
Red Cross needs the public's support now. Those who would like to
help people affected by disasters like flooding, wildfires and
countless other crises can make a donation to Red Cross Disaster
Relief. People can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling
1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a
$10 donation. These donations enable
the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover
from disasters big and small.
Financial donations are the quickest way to get people the help
they need. In California, if
someone wishes to donate clothes or household items, they can be
dropped off at Goodwill Industries of South Central California. The
Red Cross is partnering with them to issue vouchers to support
those who have had to evacuate. Information about where items can
be donated is available here.
WEST VIRGINIA Thousands
of people are without power and gas service. As many as 60 roads
are closed to flooding and flood damage. There are almost 20 Red
Cross and community shelters open across the affected counties
where hundreds of people are taking refuge from the flooding. Red
Cross workers are providing meals, relief supplies and other
assistance to those affected as well as meals for first responders.
Red Cross disaster mental health workers are helping people cope.
Health workers are helping to replace needed items like
prescription medications and eyeglasses. The Red Cross is
monitoring the situation and working with state and local officials
and partners to help ensure people get the help they need.
Important Red Cross flood safety information is found
here.
CALIFORNIA The Erskine
Fire in Kern County started Friday
and firefighters have been unable to contain the blaze which has
already destroyed 150 homes, burned 35,000 acres and forced almost
3,000 people to evacuate. Red Cross workers have shelters open
where more than 130 people spent Friday night. The Red Cross is
providing food and relief supplies, along with health services and
helping people cope with a very difficult situation. People
in the path of the fire can find vital safety information
here.
SAFE AND WELL People can register on the Red Cross
Safe and Well website so loved ones can see their situation. Those
who can't access a computer can call 1-800-RED CROSS
(1-800-733-2767) and a Red Cross operator can help them register.
They can also update their Facebook and Twitter status through the
Safe and Well website or visit www.redcross.org/safeandwell on
their smart phone and click on the "List Yourself as Safe and Well"
or "Search for friends and family" link.
DOWNLOAD EMERGENCY APP People should download the
free Red Cross Emergency App to receive emergency alerts and
information about what to do in case of flooding, wildfires and
other disasters, as well as locations of shelters. The App also
includes emergency first aid information and a Family Safe feature
which allows people to instantly see if loved ones are okay. The
free Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the
American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.
CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from
members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and
the Disaster Responder Program enable the Red Cross to prepare
communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and
wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery
process.
ADGP $1 Million members
are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem
Foundation; Boise Paper; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale;
Delta Air Lines; Disney; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx
Corporation; The Home Depot Foundation; Humble Bundle; LDS
Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations;
Merck Foundation; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS;
VSPSM Vision care for life; and Walmart and the
Walmart Foundation.
ADGP $500,000 members
are: 3M; Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bank of
America; BNY Mellon; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi
Foundation; ConAgra Foods Foundation; Darden Restaurants
Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Farmers Insurance; Ford
Motor Company; Grainger; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls;
Medtronic; Meijer; Mondelēz International Foundation; National
Grid; PepsiCo Foundation; Prudential Foundation; Southwest
Airlines; Sprint; Sunoco; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United
Airlines; United Technologies Corporation; Visa; Wawa;
and Wells Fargo.
Disaster Responder Program members are: Alcoa;
Almost Family; Astellas USA
Foundation; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA; Ball
Foundation; BHP Billiton; CarMax; The Clorox Company; Cox
Automotive; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; General Motors
Foundation; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; Hi-Rez Studios;
HP Company Foundation; IBM Corporation; IKEA; Ingersoll Rand
Foundation; Interstate All Battery Center; Land O'Lakes, Inc.;
Marsh & McLennan Companies; MetLife Foundation; Morgan Stanley;
Neiman Marcus Group; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman
Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual
Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; PSEG Foundation;
PuroClean Disaster Recovery; Red Heart Yarns; Residence Inn by
Marriott; Ryder; ScriptRelief; Sealed Air; Servpro Industries,
Inc.; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie;
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Foundation, Inc.; T O Y O T
A; U.S. Bank; and U-Haul International.
About the American Red Cross:
The American
Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims
of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood;
teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian
aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red
Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers
and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.
For more information, please
visit redcross.org or
cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter
at @RedCross.
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SOURCE American Red Cross