Red Cross volunteers provide help to Hurricane Ida victims

ATLANTA — Along the Gulf Coast and in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast, the American Red Cross is working around the clock with its partners to help people struggling with damage and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida.

Some 30 trained disaster workers from Georgia – most volunteers – are among 750 from across the country who have already rushed to help in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, including Connie and Mark Fleetwood, a husband-and-wife team from Moultrie, who drove a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle to the Alabama Gulf Coast last Friday. Amidst fallen trees, flooding, and wind damage they’re delivering food, water, tarps, work gloves and clean-up kits to residents in need. Connie Fleetwood says volunteering allows them to see people at their best when their lives are at their worst.

Georgia Red Cross caseworkers also have reached out with resources to Hurricane Ida evacuees who traveled to the state to escape the storm and are now journeying back to the Louisiana area where safe shelters and additional support options await.

“We’re encouraging evacuees ready to leave Georgia to take advantage of Red Cross shelters and resources closer to their homes,” Carla Maton, recovery manager for the Red Cross of Georgia, said. “And we’re providing comfort and support on their way.”

It’s important to remember that responding to a disaster of this size is a team effort, and no single organization can do it alone. Red Cross and partner resources for evacuees in Georgia seeking help include:

♦ Call: 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) / Visit: www.redcross.org/gethelp;

♦ Download the free Red Cross Emergency app for shelter locations or text LASHELTER to 898-211 or LOLAREADY to 77295. Louisianans who are currently out of the state can also reach their 211 for shelter information by calling 800-755-5175.

♦ Visit www.findhelp.org

♦ To apply for FEMA assistance, add information or check status, go to www.disasterassistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362.

Red Cross response:

♦ Thursday night, more than 2,400 people sought refuge in 29 Red Cross and community shelters across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

♦ Some 750 trained Red Cross workers are on the ground now, and hundreds more volunteers are on the way to support relief efforts.

♦ With the help of partners, the Red Cross has already provided some 49,500 meals and snacks and distributed more than 16,000 relief items.

♦ Trained Red Cross volunteers already have made more than 1,500 contacts providing emotional support, health services and spiritual care for people who’ve been evacuated.

♦ While the organization don’t typically serve hospitals in Louisiana, the Red Cross has provided 95 blood products to a hospital in Baton Rouge in the aftermath of Ida.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: To help people affected by Hurricane Ida, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word IDA to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Your gift is a commitment to helping people in need, and every single donation matters. Financial donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

GIVE BLOOD: The Red Cross urges individuals in unaffected areas of the country to make an appointment to give blood to ensure a sufficient blood supply remains available for patients. Schedule a blood or platelet donation appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733- 2767).

VOLUNTEER: If you have the time, you can make a significant impact as a Red Cross volunteer. Review our most urgently needed volunteer positions at redcross.org/volunteertoday.

Special Photo: Red Cross