Red Cross mobilizes as Francine nears Gulf Coast while also supporting victims of massive western wildfires

Support Red Cross Disaster Relief.Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

The American Red Cross is preparing to respond on two coasts as Tropical Storm Francine charges toward the Gulf states and massive wildfires continue to burn in the west.

FRANCINE is expected to grow to hurricane strength today and make landfall Wednesday, bringing as much as a foot of rain, flash flooding, damaging winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the region. Louisiana could see the worst from Francine. Millions of people are under flood watches and some Louisiana communities have already been ordered to evacuate.

"The American Red Cross is currently setting up operations to respond to the impact of hurricane threats in the Gulf of Mexico, especially in Louisiana, as Tropical Storm Francine gains strength. We urge everyone in the path of Francine to take preparedness actions now to ensure your safety and well-being," said Brad Kieserman, vice president, Disaster Operations & Logistics for the Red Cross.

In advance of landfall, the Red Cross is mobilizing hundreds of trained workers, emergency response vehicles, and thousands of relief supplies and ready-to-eat meals. Red Cross disaster teams will work in close collaboration with government officials and community partners to provide comfort, support and relief services to people in Francine's path.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Please click, text or call to support Red Cross Disaster Relief and help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

WILDFIRESMore than 150 Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground out west, helping people impacted by the massive wildfires burning in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Washington, Arizona, Wyoming and Nevada.

Fires in California and Nevada, fueled by extreme heat and high winds, have forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes. The Line Fire in southern California quadrupled in size over the weekend, threatening more than 36,000 homes and businesses. In Nevada, the Davis Fire south of Reno forced 20,000 people to evacuate. Both California and Nevada have declared states of emergency amid power outages, record-setting high temperatures and gusty winds. Some schools are closed, and people are being told to prepare for prolonged power outages.

Red Cross shelters are open in California, Nevada and Oregon for those affected by the wildfires.

FIND A SHELTER Anyone who needs a safe place to stay or a warm meal can find shelter information on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).

If possible, we encourage people who plan to stay in a shelter to bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents. Don't forget to bring any special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, or for family members who have unique needs.

We do everything we can to accommodate service animals and domesticated pets comfortably in our shelters. Sometimes, depending on the situation, pets may need to be housed in a different location with support from local partners.

GET READY NOW Take these steps now to be ready should something happen:

• You may need to stay where you are or go somewhere else to stay safe. If you need to leave, think about where you will go, how you will get there, where you will stay and what you'll take with you. Plan well in advance if you'll need help leaving or use public transportation.

• Next, gather and organize critical supplies - like food, water and medicine - into a go-kit and a stay-at-home kit. Make sure to include backup batteries and chargers for your devices (cell phone, CPAP, wheelchair, etc.), a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and critical personal records. Your go-kit should include three days of supplies that you can take with you. Your stay-at-home kit should have two weeks of food and water, and a one-month supply of medications, if possible.

• Customize your kit to meet your household's specific needs. If you have young children, don't forget formula and diapers. If you have pets, include leashes, carriers, food, bowls, litter and a litterbox.

• Make a plan to reconnect with loved ones if you are separated or if the phone or internet is down. Write down important phone numbers on a contact card and carry it with you.

• Finally, download the free Red Cross Emergency app today for real-time weather alerts and expert preparedness and safety advice in both English and Spanish.

Find more information on hurricane and wildfire safety here.

CLIMATE CRISIS Francine's development was aided by hotter-than-average ocean temperatures that were made at least 100x more likely due to the climate crisis, according to Climate Central. Overall, disasters - including wildfires and hurricanes - are becoming more frequent and intense. In response, the Red Cross is providing food, shelter and recovery support on a nearly continual basis.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP)Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster, regardless of cost.

ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Chobani; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; CMA CGM Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald's Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; Nationwide Foundation; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; DHL Supply Chain; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Philanthropy; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Paul Davis Restoration; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stryker; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Zoetis

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; ALDI; American Tire Distributors; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway Company; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Dollar Tree and Family Dollar; Duke Energy; Erie Insurance; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; L'Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LKQ; Macy's, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Martin Marietta; Masco; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation; Phillips 66; Prudential; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reliance, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance's Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Stephen's Inc.; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; U.S. Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich

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