Red Cross Gets Ready to Help as Storm Heads to Florida

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.

As Tropical Storm Helene barrels toward the Florida Panhandle, the American Red Cross is working closely with partners and officials across Florida and Georgia to finalize response plans and urges everyone to make their storm preparations now.

Expected to become a major hurricane and hit the Florida Panhandle on Thursday, Helene will bring strong winds and as much as 10 inches of rain. Power outages and downed trees are a concern.A state of emergency has been declared for 41 Florida counties.

As the climate crisis worsens, the Red Cross is well practiced in preparing and responding to storms like Helene. Over the last five years, we've been there for 12 hurricane landfalls along the Gulf Coast and Helene will be the fourth in just this year.

YOU CAN HELP NOWPlease click, text or call to support Red Cross Disaster Relief and help people affected by disasters like storms, fires 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. During a disaster, the Red Cross provides safe shelter, food, emergency relief supplies, emotional support, health services and financial assistance to those in need.

RED CROSS RESPONSE The Red Cross is rapidly mobilizing some 275 trained disaster workers, truckloads of supplies and dozens of shelters to help people in Florida and Georgia in the face of Helene.

Red Crossers are preparing dozens of evacuation shelters along the Florida Panhandle and in Tampa. More shelter teams are on stand-by in case they are needed. In addition to trailers of disaster supplies pre-positioned earlier this year, the Red Cross is preparing some 30,000 snacks and 15,000 ready-to-eat meals, as well as emergency response vehicles.

In preparation for the storm, the Red Cross has sent blood products to Florida hospitals to ensure blood remains available for patients in areas likely to be impacted by the storm.

FIND A SHELTEREvacuation shelters will be opening later this week. You can find them on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). You can also find shelters by following your local Red Cross and local emergency officials on social media, or by monitoring local news.

Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or citizenship status. All disaster assistance is free.

We don't require people to show any kind of identification to enter a shelter - just their name and where they were living before the disaster.

Hurricane evacuation shelters are typically only meant to shelter people for a short amount of time as a hurricane moves through. These facilities may not have cots and blankets available for everyone.

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.

HOW TO PREPAREDownload the free Red Cross Emergency app for real-time weather alerts, open shelter locations and expert advice on storms in both English and Spanish. Search "American Red Cross" in app stores or go to redcross.org/apps.

Make a plan to stay safe and know how you'll stay connected. You may need to stay where you are or go somewhere else to stay safe. If leaving, 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. Don't forget to include pets in your plans.

Write down important phone numbers on a contact card and carry it with you to reconnect with loved ones if you are separated or if the phone or internet is down. In case the power goes out, have a backup battery or another way to charge your cell phone, and a battery-powered or hand-crank radio.

Sign up for free emergency alerts from your local government and know what different types of alerts mean. For example, a WATCH means be prepared, and a WARNING means take action.

Gather critical supplies and organize them into a go-kit and a stay-at-home kit. Your go-kit should include three days of supplies that you can carry with you. Include backup batteries and chargers for your devices (cell phone, CPAP, wheelchair, etc.) Your stay-at-home kit should have two weeks of food and water, and, if possible, a one-month supply of medications and medical supplies.

Customize your kit to meet your household's specific needs, for instance if you have children or pets. Keep personal, financial and medical records safe and easy to access (hard copies or securely backed up). Consider keeping a list of your medications and dosages on a small card to carry with you.

SAFETY STEPSStorms like this can rapidly change in intensification as well as shift track. It's important for anyone in the path of this storm to prepare for landfall now. Evacuate immediately if local officials advise. Bring your go-kit and pets. Don't return home until officials say it's safe.

Find information on hurricane safety and more here.

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. Read more here.

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: ALDI; 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 Foundation

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; 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; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; The DICK'S 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 US Foundation; 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; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; U.S. Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich

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