American Red Cross Expects Hurricane Irene Response to Continue for Weeks

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Aug 29, 2011, 04:04 ET

Seeking Both Financial and Blood Donations in the Aftermath of the Storm

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With communities from North Carolina to New England suffering from significant flooding, wind damage and widespread power outages from Hurricane Irene, the American Red Cross is responding with shelter, food and other assistance.

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"The storm may be over, but our work is far from done," said Gail McGovern, Red Cross president and CEO. "We expect this disaster relief operation to be a very large operation that will continue for several weeks."

Saturday night, the Red Cross was operating in more than 500 shelters, providing shelter for more than 27,000 people, and still had 300 shelters open for 8,000 people Sunday night. Since Friday, the Red Cross has provided more than 48,000 overnight shelter stays.

In North Carolina, three N.C. Baptist Men kitchens are being set up in New Bern, Manteo and Williamston, with the first hot meals planned for today. These kitchens have the capacity to serve approximately 30,000 meals each day. The Red Cross has also arranged to procure approximately 1.3 million meals through various vendors in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and New York.

McGovern and Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of disaster services, spoke about the Red Cross response and its plans during an afternoon media briefing. Both cited the need for donations for the Red Cross relief operation, which will likely cost millions.

"We're still caring for thousands of people in our shelters, and we're incurring costs every day," McGovern said, noting that the Red Cross has active operations in more than a dozen coastal states.

Both McGovern and Shimanski emphasized that flood relief operations typically extend for weeks, citing the example of Minot, N.D., where a Red Cross shelter remains open months after severe flooding overtook the city.

In Irene's wake, thousands of people have turned to the Red Cross for help, and Red Cross workers are responding. The Red Cross has more than 250 feeding vehicles—or more than two-thirds its entire fleet—ready to go into neighborhoods to provide hot meals. Every Red Cross feeding truck east of the Rocky Mountains has been mobilized for this relief effort.

In addition to noting the need for financial donations to the Red Cross for the disaster operation, McGovern also noted that the Red Cross was in need of another kind of donation as well: blood donations are needed now.

"Supplies before the storm were already tight, as they are every summer, and Irene caused the cancellation of 60 blood drives along the East Coast, resulting in a shortfall of more than 2,100 units of blood," McGovern said. "We're expecting these numbers to go up due to storm damage in many locations, which will cause more canceled blood drives."

The Red Cross is urging immediate blood and platelet donations in areas that were not affected by this storm, and is also asking community members in affected areas to consider donating blood once it is safe to go out. If people want to schedule an appointment, they can go online at www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS.

Those who want to help can click or text to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donations can be made by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-REDCROSS, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions can also be sent to local Red Cross chapters or mailed to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

SOURCE American Red Cross