The American Red Cross is continuing a massive relief effort after Superstorm Sandy left a path of destruction across much of the northeastern United States.
Brian Scoles, chief public affairs officer for the Western Carolinas chapter of the American Red Cross, said that thousands of people have spent the night in hundreds of Red Cross shelters since the storm began its onslaught on the country.
"The Red Cross has already served more than 100,800 meals and snacks and mobilized more than 2,300 disaster workers and almost 200 emergency vehicles so far and more are being deployed," Scoles said.
“This response to Sandy is just getting started. The storm has left devastation in its wake and we will be helping people for weeks to come,” said Scoles, Public “This will be very costly and the Red Cross needs help now. We ask everyone to support us as we help people recover from this massive storm.”
Volunteers from the Western Carolinas have been deployed to states along the East Coast from North Carolina to Connecticut. Throughout the day on Wednesday additional volunteers will be sent, bringing the total number of volunteers to 30.
The volunteers from the Western Carolinas will assist with meeting the needs of evacuees in shelters, linking affected loved ones with their family members through our Safe and Well website, the mobile delivery of food and cleaning supplies within the impact zones, first aid/health services, and assessing the damage to structures as a result of the hurricane.
HOW TO HELP: The response to Sandy is very large and very costly and the Red Cross needs the public’s help now. People can make a financial donation by visiting www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to someone’s local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
VOLUNTER OPPORTUNITIES: As a result of an increase in interest from the public who wish to become Red Cross volunteers there will be a special new volunteer training day in Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC in Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. -2 p.m. This course will offer both the Disaster Services Overview Course and Shelter Operations. Attendees will also get a brief overview of the expectations and requirements of deploying to Disaster Relief Operations and how to complete the process to become a volunteer. This class does not guarantee attendees will respond to Hurricane Sandy operations.
PLEASE GIVE BLOOD: The storm has also caused the cancellation of hundreds of Red Cross blood drives, resulting in a loss of as many as 11,000 blood products and people are eligible are asked to schedule a blood donation now, especially if they live outside the areas impacted by the storm.
To schedule a donation time or get more information about giving blood, people can visitredcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To give blood, someone must be at least 17 years of age, meet weight and height requirements and be in general good health. Donors should bring their Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID with them. Some states allow 16-year-olds to give with parental consent.
RED CROSS SHELTERS: If someone needs to find a shelter, they can download the Red Cross Hurricane app, visit the Red Cross web site, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or check local media outlets. People can let their loved ones know how they are by using the “I’m Safe” button on the Red Cross Hurricane App which can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. People can also register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website to let loved ones know they are okay. To register, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).