As Hurricane Matthew continued its path of destruction up the southeast coast, the American Red Cross expanded its massive sheltering effort to span five states. More than 13,400 people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia woke up in 248 Red Cross and community evacuation shelters.
A total of more than 2,700 Red Cross disaster workers are supporting relief efforts. The Red Cross has also mobilized 133 response vehicles, 3 kitchens and 97 trailers filled with water, ready-to-eat meals, shelter and kitchen supplies, cleaning supplies and comfort kits, insect repellant, gloves, masks, shovels, rakes, coolers and more. The Red Cross is working in close collaboration with government officials and community partners to coordinate response efforts to ensure people receive the help they need as quickly as possible.
Thirty volunteers from the Western and Central New York Region are deployed to assist in the Hurricane response. That includes 12 who deployed over the weekend. From Western New York, five volunteers are headed to South Carolina, Georgie and Florida. From the Southern Tier, four volunteers are traveling to South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. From Central New York, three volunteers have departed for Georgia and Florida. The regional response includes two vehicles on their way to South Carolina.
HUNDREDS OF BLOOD, PLATELET DONATIONS GO UNCOLLECTED
As flooding from Hurricane Matthew inundates the Carolinas, the storm continues to impact the nation’s blood supply. So far, Hurricane Matthew has forced the cancellation of approximately 40 Red Cross blood drives in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia resulting in more than 1,500 blood and platelet donations to go uncollected. More cancellations are likely along the Southeast coast of the U.S. as floodwaters ravage many areas.
In parts of the country unaffected by the storm, the Red Cross needs eligible individuals to please give blood or platelets now to help ensure we have a readily available blood supply for patients in need. Even before the threat of Hurricane Matthew, there was an urgent need for donors of all blood types, especially type O. Appointments can be made by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visitingredcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
HAITI RESPONSE
The American Red Cross is working closely with the Haitian Red Cross to assess the extent of damage and get much-needed supplies to the 61,000 residents displaced by Hurricane Matthew. Basic infrastructure such as communication systems, water systems and electricity are highly damaged and non-functional in some locations. Major needs include shelter, clean water and sanitation, and American Red Cross teams in Haiti pre-deployed to the affected areas are now distributing a first round of life-saving relief supplies, including hygiene (cooking) kits, and cholera-prevention kits.
The Red Cross depends on donations to provide immediate relief. Help people affected by Hurricane Matthew by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word MATTHEW to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.
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.