The Red Cross is sheltering and feeding people in 10 states who are being forced to leave their homes as major flooding hits the East Coast and fires tear through Texas.

• More than 770 people spent Wednesday night in Red Cross shelters open throughout New York and Pennsylvania where devastating flooding is compounding the problems already caused by Hurricane Irene. Additional disaster workers and supplies are on the way to the area.
• Red Cross relief operations are continuing in Texas where wildfires are still burning. More than 230 people spent Wednesday night in Red Cross shelters to escape the smoke and flames of the fires. Officials report more than 880 homes have already been destroyed.
• Relief operations are also ongoing in North Carolina, New Jersey and throughout New England where Hurricane Irene destroyed thousands of homes at the end of August. Approximately 319 people spent Wednesday night in Red Cross shelters in those areas.
  Red Cross costs for this multi-disaster response are growing by the hour. It is estimated the response to Hurricane Irene alone will cost between $10 million and $15 million. New relief efforts for flooding in Pennsylvania and New York, and the large wildfire response in Texas will add to that estimate. We really need your help now.
• To make a donation visit www.redcross.org , call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
• Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
• The American Red Cross is not a government agency. We rely on donations from the public to provide our services.

As part of our response to Irene, Lee and the Texas wildfires, more than 6,550 Red Cross workers have:
• Served more than 1.8 million meals and snacks.
• Provided approximately 60,000 overnight stays in hundreds of shelters.
• Handed out more than 198,000 relief items like hygiene kits, mops, brooms, tarps, work gloves and coolers.
• Provided almost 25,000 mental health and health services consultations.

If someone needs to find an open shelter, they should follow their local media. They can also visit www.redcross.org or download the free Red Cross shelter app for their iPhone.

• If you are evacuating and heading to a shelter, bring extra clothing, pillows, blankets, prescriptions and emergency medication, personal hygiene items, and important documents.
• Don’t forget special items for children and infants, such as diapers, formulas and toys, along with other items for family members who are elderly or disabled. Make arrangements for your pets.
• People can let friends and family know where they are by registering on Safe and Well at redcross.org. They can also have a family member or friend who has internet access register for them.

The Red Cross is urging immediate blood and platelet donations in areas unaffected by these disasters and asks that people in affected areas consider donating blood once it’s safe to do so.

• These disasters have forced the cancellation of many Red Cross blood drives, resulting in the shortfall of several thousand blood donations.
• Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet height and weight requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height), and who are generally in good health may be eligible to donate blood.
• To schedule an appointment, please call 1-800-RED CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org.

The Red Cross responds to approximately 70,000 disasters every year, providing shelter food and relief supplies to people affected by these emergencies.

• Donations to American Red Cross Disaster Relief ensure that no matter where a disaster happens, the Red Cross can respond without delay. Unrestricted gifts are preferred because these donations make it possible for the Red Cross to help people before and after any disaster – such as a wildfire, flooding, tornado or hurricane – no matter when or where.
•  The Red Cross spends an average of $450 million annually on disaster relief throughout the United States and around the world. Major disasters that impact entire communities – like Hurricane Irene – add to the total cost of our response.

WASHINGTON, Sunday, August 28, 2011 — Editorial note: Call (202) 303-5551 to speak with an American Red Cross spokesperson on the ground. Visit the Red Cross Disaster Online Newsroom for hurricane response information, including photos, video and press releases.

More than 27,000 people spent Saturday night in shelters opened or supported by the American Red Cross as Hurricane Irene moved up the East Coast. The storm is shaping up to become a large flood relief operation and thousands of people across multiple states have already turned to the Red Cross for help.

“Our main focus right now is providing people with a safe place to stay and food to eat,” said Charley Shimanski, senior vice president of Disaster Services for the Red Cross. “There have been mandatory evacuations all along the East Coast and millions are without power because of this hurricane.”

While it is too early to know the full extent of the storm’s damage, the Red Cross expects to be helping people for the next several weeks.

The Red Cross has relief operations ongoing in more than a dozen states and thousands of disaster workers helping people from North Carolina to New England. Every Red Cross feeding truck east of the Rocky Mountains - more than 250 – are set to go into neighborhoods as soon as conditions permit. Tens of thousands of pre-packaged meals are in position, and the Red Cross is working with its community partners to have feeding kitchens in place after the storm moves through.

“This is a big response involving multiple states and the response will cost millions,” Shimanski said. If people would like to help, they can click or text to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donations can be made by visiting www.redcross.org or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions can also be sent to someone’s local Red Cross chapter or mailed to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

Irene has already caused the cancellation of more than 50 blood drives, adding up to a loss of approximately 1,500 blood donations along the East Coast. Because each donation can be made into as many as three blood products, this translates to approximately 4,500 blood products not being available for patients who need them. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet height and weight requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height), and who are generally in good health may be eligible to donate blood. To schedule an appointment, please call 1-800-RED CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org.

Those affected by the storm can let friends and family know where they are by registering on the Red Cross Safe and Well website at redcross.org. They can also call a family member or friend with internet access and ask them to do their registration.

Hurricane Irene is headed toward the East Coast and the American Red Cross is mobilizing disaster workers and equipment along much of the eastern seaboard to help those in the path of this powerful storm.

Hurricane Irene is predicted to be the largest storm to hit the East Coast in more than 70 years, and could threaten several big population centers. A hurricane watch has been issued for the North Carolina coast and the Red Cross has opened shelters in the state as evacuation orders go into effect. In addition, more than 200 Red Cross mobile feeding vehicles are heading towards the coast to help people in the path of the storm.

"The Red Cross is moving volunteers, vehicles and supplies, getting ready for a response effort that spans nearly the entire East Coast," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. "While we're getting ready at the Red Cross, we want everyone in the storm's path to get ready as well by getting a disaster kit, making a family emergency plan, and listening to local officials regarding evacuations."

Southeastern Michigan Region
Locally we are sending:

• 1 ERV driven by two volunteers from the SEM Chapter to Virginia
• 1 ERV driven by two volunteers from the Washtenaw County Chapter to Virginia

Dozens of shelters are being prepared all along the East Coast. People can find open Red Cross shelters by viewing an interactive Google map at www.redcross.org or by downloading the free Red Cross shelter app for their iPhone from the iTunes store. A mobile-friendly version of the Hurricane Safety Checklist is now available for smart phone users to download at www.redcross.org/mobile.
It’s important that those affected by the storm stay in contact with loved ones and the Red Cross Safe and Well website can help them do that. Safe and Well is a secure, easy-to-use online tool to help families connect in an emergency. People can register by visiting the Red Cross web site or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions could be a threat within 48 hours. An upgrade to a hurricane warning will mean hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours. Those in the affected area should finish their storm preparations and evacuate if authorities ask them to do so.

Hurricane Irene has caused significant damage in the southern Bahamas and the Bahamas Red Cross is managing shelters and helping people displaced by the storm. A regional disaster management expert is headed to the Bahamas today to assist with disaster assessment and response. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Red Cross is mobilizing volunteers as flooding, damage to homes and impassable roads are left in the storm’s wake. The United Nations is reporting hundreds of homes have been damaged and it is difficult to communicate with many localities.

In addition, Irene could affect blood collections along the East Coast at a time when the nation’s blood supply is already low. The Red Cross is urging those who are eligible to give blood prior to the storm’s arrival. Donating blood now, before the storm, will help ensure blood is available in the aftermath of Irene should conditions prohibit people from traveling to blood collections.

Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states), meet height and weight requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height), and who are generally in good health may be eligible to donate blood. To schedule an appointment, please call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit us online at www.redcrossblood.org.

Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) members support Red Cross disaster efforts by pledging donations to the Red Cross in advance of major disasters to ensure an immediate response to help people affected. ADGP members responsible for these generous donations include 3M, Altria Group, Aon, Caterpillar, Cisco Foundation , ConAgra Foods , Costco Wholesale Corporation, Darden Restaurants, Inc., Dr Pepper Snapple Group　, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation , John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Kraft Foods, Lowe's Companies, Inc., Merck, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Northrop Grumman, Optum, Ryder Charitable Foundation, Southwest Airlines, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc., UnitedHealthcare, UPS and Walmart.

American Red Cross disaster preparedness starts long before a hurricane makes landfall, beginning with keeping supplies and equipment on stand-by all year to help people in need. On average, the Red Cross spends about $450 million on disaster relief every year. If someone would like to support Red Cross disaster efforts, they can make a donation to American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS, texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation, or sending contributions to their local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

DETROIT, MI-JULY 29, 2011- Two regions made up of five American Red Cross chapters in Southeast Michigan are joining hands in an effort to serve their communities more efficiently and effectively. The consolidation is part of a national Red Cross initiative to streamline operations, cut expenses, reorganize how services are delivered, and insure that donor dollars are put to their best use.

The region comprised of the Washtenaw and Lenawee County Chapters will merge with the region comprised of the Monroe and St. Clair County Chapters and the Southeastern Michigan Regional Chapter, which serves Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties. The new structure will allow the five chapters to coordinate most aspects of their work, including disaster relief, health and safety training, and assistance to military families. Administrative functions—such as finance, human resources, information technology, and marketing—will also be consolidated nationally, freeing staff to concentrate on program and service delivery.

“Pooling our resources and expertise provided us the opportunity to re-think how best to deliver vital services to our various communities,” says James L. Laverty, Southeastern Michigan Regional Executive Officer. “This is an exciting time to be involved in the Red Cross.”

The new structure will allow quicker access and deployment of the full array of Red Cross humanitarian and financial resources in times of disaster. While the new region will be managed from the Southeastern Michigan Regional Chapter in Detroit, each chapter will retain a strong community presence—conducting regular business hours at their current facility and delivering vital Red Cross services locally as in the past.

The reorganization prompted a reduction in paid staff. Historically, the Red Cross has relied heavily on volunteers to accomplish its mission, a dependence which is now even more essential. The new region will include 7240 volunteers and 5410 instructors authorized to teach Red Cross programs, including disaster preparedness, nurse assistant training, and CPR.

The new business model will strengthen the Red Cross and its capacity to provide core humanitarian services to those in need in the most cost-effective manner.

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.

The American Red Cross, Southeastern Region serves: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Lenawee, Monroe and St. Clair Counties

-End-

INTERNATIONAL – HAITI
The American Red Cross is working hard to prepare people in Haiti as Tropical Storm Emily bears down on the island.
Recognizing that hundreds of thousands of earthquake survivors are still living in camps, American Red Cross workers have helped camp residents prepare for possible heavy rains and landslides through activities such as digging ditches and sandbagging hillsides, preparing evacuation routes, emergency first aid classes, training in early warning systems (with warning flags, bullhorns and whistles), and classes to teach children how to be prepared.
• We have supplied additional tarps to vulnerable Haitians whose shelters may be damaged or destroyed.
• American Red Cross staff is on standby to respond with members of the global Red Cross network should an emergency occur.
• The Red Cross network has built a Disaster Operations Center in Hinche and pre-positioned emergency relief items at sites around the country.

The American Red Cross has invested $28 million to fund 6,500 new semi-permanent homes. More than 2,600 of these homes – enough for 13,000 people – have already been built, allowing people to move from the camps back to their neighborhoods.
• We are also budgeting approximately $100 million for the repair and/or construction of permanent homes over the next few years as well as providing things like water and sanitation, health services, disaster risk reduction, and livelihoods support.

The American Red Cross has received approximately $484 million to help the people of Haiti and has already spent or signed contracts to spend about two-thirds of that money ($295 million) for response to the Haiti earthquake.
• More than $16 million has been spent to respond to the cholera outbreak which began late last year and has spiked again in the rainy season.

DOMESTIC RESPONSE
Meanwhile, Red Cross chapters in the United States are on alert and closely monitoring Tropical Storm Emily.
• Red Cross chapters from Florida to North Carolina are coordinating with local emergency officials and ensuring that shelters, relief supplies and volunteers are ready to help if coastal communities are threatened.
• Red Cross work starts long before a tropical storm makes landfall. In fact, we keep a variety of supplies and equipment on stand by year round to be ready to help people in need. For example, we have 26 warehouses stocked with disaster relief supplies, more than 60,000 trained workers and more than 320 mobile