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Mar 07, 2024

Red Cross Responds as Dangerous Hurricane Idalia Heads to Florida

Idalia is now a hurricane expected to be a dangerous Category 3 storm when it makes landfall in Florida Wednesday. The American Red Cross urges people in the path of Idalia to listen to local

Idalia is now a hurricane expected to be a dangerous Category 3 storm when it makes landfall in Florida Wednesday. The American Red Cross urges people in the path of Idalia to listen to local authorities and evacuate immediately if asked to do so.

Parts of Florida and southern Georgia could see the effects of the storm today with Idalia making landfall tomorrow, bringing life-threatening storm surge as well as major flooding, wind damage and possible tornadoes to the region. The storm will spread to the Carolinas Wednesday into Thursday.

People should listen to officials and evacuate immediately if asked to do so. Once conditions deteriorate, emergency personnel likely won’t be able to respond for a time.

As a result of the climate crisis, scientists warn that hurricanes are becoming more intense and more destructive with increased rainfall and higher storm surges. As extreme weather increases, more people need help from the Red Cross. Find out more about the Red Cross and its work on the climate crisis at redcross.org/climate.

RED CROSS RESPONSE The Red Cross is ready to help with more than 400 Red Cross disaster responders and truckloads of supplies pre-positioned and ready to respond to Hurricane Idalia. We are working closely with government officials and community partners to support evacuation shelters for families in harm’s way.

Red Cross disaster workers are pre-positioning 45 specialty response vehicles and truckloads of supplies in advance of Idalia. This includes technology equipment, some 100,000 ready-to-eat meals and enough shelter supplies to support 20,000 individuals. Additional volunteers and emergency supplies are on standby in case they are needed.

The Red Cross is also stocking hospitals in the Florida Panhandle with additional blood products to ensure they are able to keep adequate inventory on the shelves if transportation routes are impacted in the coming days. In addition, the Red Cross is pre-positioning blood products in other areas of the Southeast in advance of the storm and stands ready to provide additional blood products if hospitals need support.

FIND A SHELTER To make sure people have a safe place to stay during Idalia, Red Cross disaster workers and community partners are opening and supporting evacuation centers and shelters. Anyone who needs a safe place to go can find information on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).

You can also check with local officials and monitor local news for information on where to find emergency shelter. In Florida, visit floridadisaster.org.

We encourage people who plan to stay in a shelter or evacuation center 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.

Download the free Emergency app for instant access to full weather alerts, help preparing for emergency situations and locations of open Red Cross shelters. Content can be viewed in English or Spanish, and is accessible for people with disabilities. Red Cross apps are available in the app store as well as on redcross.org/apps.

HOW YOU CAN HELP You can help people affected by disasters like storms, wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Blood donations are also critically important to ensure patient needs are met.

Financial contributions enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

For those interested in helping people specifically affected by the Hurricane Idalia, we ask that they write “Hurricane Idalia” in the memo line of a check and mail it with a completed donation form to the address on the form or to their local Red Cross chapter.

Large storm systems often force the cancellation of blood drives in affected areas and the Red Cross is already experiencing a concerning shortfall in donations. In addition to blood drive cancellations, we anticipate fewer donors will come out to donate in and around affected areas due to poor weather conditions. Those in unthreatened areas are encouraged to make and keep blood donation appointments to ensure we can meet the needs of patients whenever and wherever they arise.

Schedule an appointment to donate today using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Our volunteers represent 90% of our workforce. Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to sign up for opportunities with your local chapter. Our most-needed disaster positions include supporting shelters and providing health services.

IF YOU ARE IN THE STORM’S PATH, be prepared to evacuate quickly and leave the area if local officials tell you to do so. Have your disaster kit ready. Review your emergency plan with everyone in your household.

Plan your evacuation route and alternates in case main roads are impassable. Don’t forget your pets. If you must evacuate, make arrangements for your animals. Keep a list of pet-friendly hotels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes.

After evacuating, don’t return home until officials say it is safe to do so.

FLOODING SAFETY Turn around, don’t drown. Stay off the roads. If you must drive and encounter a flooded roadway while driving, turn around and go another way.

If your neighborhood is prone to flooding, be prepared to evacuate quickly if necessary. Follow evacuation routes and do not try to take shortcuts because they may be blocked. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.

Head for higher ground and stay there. Be especially cautious at night when it’s harder to see flood danger.

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; Best Buy; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale ; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PayPal; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; CarMax; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Dollar General; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company Fund; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; International Paper; 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; Merck; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation Barclays; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; CDW; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Foundation; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LHC Group; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Martin Marietta; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; The Middleby Corporation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Organon; Pacific Life Foundation; Prudential; Raytheon Technologies; Reckitt; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Project, a project of New Venture Fund; Ross Stores Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Zurich

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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