Red Cross Volunteers Responding to Hurricane Earl

(Evansville) –The American Red Cross is ready to respond to Hurricane Earl from North Carolina to New England, preparing to open shelters and feed those affected by the Category 3 storm that is bearing down on the United States, bringing heavy rains and sustained winds blowing at 125 mph.

In an effort to be prepared, volunteers from the Southwestern Indiana Chapter will leave on Thursday to drive an ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) from Evansville to Dedham, Massachusetts to ensure it’s pre-positioned and ready to help with relief efforts depending on the track of the hurricane. The Evansville based ERV and its volunteers are one of 150 vehicles and sets of crews headed to the East Coast in anticipation of Earl.

“Our local volunteers train year round for opportunities like this – to get out and help others in need during times when our local community is not affected by a large scale disaster,” said Matt Bertram, Regional CEO. “Volunteers are the backbone of our organizations and allow us the flexibility to pre-position vehicles, personnel and supplies in anticipation of disasters to ensure when seconds matter – help is available to those in need.”

Update about current Red Cross Disaster Operations:

+ Emergency planning is taking place in North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

+ In North Carolina, evacuation orders have been issued for some of the barrier islands starting Thursday night and the Red Cross has 14 shelters ready to open with more than 80 additional shelter sites identified if needed.

+ People who are evacuating can register on the Red Cross Safe and Well Website, accessible at www.redcross.org, so that friends and relatives can find out how they are. For those who don’t have internet access, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to register yourself and your family. Follow the prompts for disaster information.

+ The Red Cross has four warehouses stocked with relief supplies are on stand-by, and two trailers of relief supplies are en route to North Carolina, carrying clean-up kits, tarps, work gloves, comfort kits, and trash bags.

The work and mission of the American Red Cross is carried out and funded by donations from the community. To make a financial donation to help the people affected by this storm and other disasters here in the United States and around the world, people can click, call or text – visit www.evansvilleredcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The storm may also impact blood collections in the affected areas. To find out how you can be a blood donor, visit www.redcrossblood.org

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.