Nine total Western and Central NY volunteers deployed to Florida, South Carolina
BUFFALO, NY, Monday, September 2, 2019 - The American Red Cross is preparing to help tens of thousands of people in the path of Hurricane Dorian as the extremely dangerous storm tracks towards the southeast coast of the U.S. While the exact path of Dorian is still uncertain, millions of people live in areas that could be impacted by wind, rain, flooding and a high storm surge, even if the storm doesn’t make direct landfall on the coast.
The Red Cross is coordinating with community partners and emergency responders to prepare evacuation centers for people who may seek shelter over the coming days. As many as 60,000 people in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina may need emergency shelter. We are mobilizing over 1,600 trained volunteers from all over the country, 110 emergency response vehicles and more than 99 tractor-trailer loads full of relief supplies, including cots and blankets.
Nine volunteers from Western and Central New York have been deployed to support the Dorian relief efforts (updates in bold):
Dorian is the strongest hurricane on record for the Northwestern Bahamas, bringing potentially catastrophic wind and storm surge. In preparation for Hurricane Dorian, 200 Bahamas Red Cross volunteers are on alert. The Bahamas Red Cross has pre-positioned relief supplies on the islands—such as tarps, hygiene items, jerrycans, and hand-crank radios and cellphone chargers.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can make a difference in the lives of people impacted by Hurricane Dorian. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word DORIAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance.
PLEASE GIVE BLOOD
While the Red Cross does not typically collect and distribute blood in Florida, we have sent approximately 350 blood products to local blood centers there to ensure patients in need continue to have access to lifesaving blood. The Red Cross has also pre-positioned additional blood products and stocked many of our hospitals to capacity in areas of the Southeast likely to be impacted by the storm early next week.
With the holiday weekend and approaching hurricane expected to disrupt blood donations, we urge eligible individuals in parts of the country unaffected by the storm to roll up a sleeve to give today. The Red Cross currently has an emergency need for blood donations following a summer shortage. While no Red Cross blood drives have been cancelled due to the hurricane at this time, we anticipate low blood donor turnout in and around affected areas due to poor weather conditions in the days ahead. Schedule an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
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 visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
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