Red Cross Opens Shelters and Prepares for Massive Response to Possible Oroville Spillway Failure

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross has launched a massive disaster response in northern California, where at least 188,000 people have been ordered to evacuate over the past 24 hours due to the potentially catastrophic failure of a spillway which is part of the Oroville Dam system.

"The Red Cross has shelters open now and more relief supplies and disaster workers are on the way to provide assistance for people in harm's way," said Brad Kieserman, vice president, disaster operations and logistics for the Red Cross. "This is a potentially catastrophic situation – affecting thousands of people and homes – and our first priority is making sure people have a safe place to stay. We will be in the community to offer comfort and support for as long as needed."

As many as 2,200 residents were in Red Cross and community shelters as of Monday morning, and the Red Cross is preparing to shelter and feed thousands more in the upcoming days. The evacuation orders came Sunday night in Butte and Yuba counties, Yuba City and Marysville, as damage was discovered to the Oroville spillway. The Oroville Dam is the tallest dam in the United States, and is a critical piece of the state's water system. The dam currently remains intact, but the emergency spillway is compromised. The governor of California has declared a state of emergency and substantial search and rescue help is being deployed, including the California National Guard and Highway Patrol, along with swift water rescue teams.

DOWNLOAD EMERGENCY APP: Everyone should download the Red Cross Emergency App to have safety information available on their mobile device, including emergency weather alerts, safety information and open shelter locations. Red Cross apps are available in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

MAKE A DONATION We are thankful to those who would like to donate items for people evacuated in California – but the Red Cross is not equipped to manage, support, and distribute donated items. Instead, our priority is to get those affected settled at emergency shelters, and to provide supplies to meet immediate needs. Right now, the best way to help is through a financial donation.

Help people affected by disasters like floods and countless other crises by making a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small across the United States. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

ADGP $1 Million members are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Disney; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; General Motors Foundation; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; Humble Bundle; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Wawa Foundation.

ADGP $500,000 members are: 3M; Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bank of America; Boise Paper; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Farmers Insurance; Ford Motor Company; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; McDonald's Corporation; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; National Grid; PepsiCo Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; Reynolds American Foundation; Ryder; Southwest Airlines; Sprint; Sunoco; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; United Technologies Corporation; and Wells Fargo.

Disaster Responder Program members are: Alcoa; Almost Family; Astellas USA Foundation; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA; Ball Foundation; BNY Mellon; CarMax; The Clorox Company; Cox Automotive; DTE Energy Foundation; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; Hi-Rez Studios; HP Foundation; IBM Corporation; IHG Foundation; IKEA; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Foundation; PuroClean Disaster Recovery; SC Johnson; ScriptRelief; SERVPRO; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; T O Y O T A; U-Haul International; U.S. Bank; The USAA Foundation; and Visa.

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.

SOURCE American Red Cross

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