Irma
& Maria – Red Cross Relief Efforts Ongoing:
September 29, 2017
Three
weeks after Hurricane Irma crashed into Florida leaving behind widespread
devastation, the American Red Cross and a large team of partners continue to
work around the clock to provide shelter, food and comfort to people whose
lives have been turned upside down. It’s been more than a week since Hurricane
Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the American Red
Cross is working around the clock with government officials and disaster
partners to help the hundreds of thousands of people on both island territories
who are suffering right now.
Irma
In
Florida, officials estimate that more than 195,000 homes were either destroyed
or received major damage. In the Florida Keys, officials estimate that 25
percent of the homes were destroyed and 90 percent damaged. Red Cross workers
are providing food, shelter, relief supplies, health services and emotional
support in the hardest hit areas. Red Cross vehicles are delivering meals and
relief supplies to people cleaning up their homes.
The
Danish Red Cross erected a base camp in Big Pine Key, Florida to house Red
Cross disaster responders. Housing resources and hotel rooms are in very
limited supply on the Keys. This allows the Red Cross to free up valuable
lodging spaces for returning residents. In addition, schools that were being
used as staff shelters can now get back to normal business.
In
Florida, hundreds of people remain in emergency shelters, and the Red Cross is
there, making sure people get the help they need as they plan their next steps. Emergency shelters aren’t typically intended to stay open for long periods of
time—that’s why organizations involved in relief efforts strive to help people
find more suitable accommodations if their homes are left unlivable after a
disaster. The owners of many shelter facilities are also ready to get back to
normal business. Some of the people staying in shelters who can’t return home
are being helped through government programs, which may include relocating
survivors to hotels or other temporary housing solutions. Some shelter
residents will be helped through other community programs.
Maria
Thousands
of homes are destroyed or suffered major damage. People are living without
power and water. Cell service is out, making it difficult for to connect with
loved ones. Only one hospital is fully operational, with dozens more partially
so. The storm also destroyed bridges and roads, making it difficult to get help
to some areas. It could be months until power is restored with 80 percent of
overhead transmission lines damaged. Fuel is available, but conditions make it
almost impossible to distribute it. Even as river flooding continues in many
areas, more heavy rain is forecast over the weekend, which could lead to
additional flash floods and mudslides.
Officials
estimate that emergency shelters and food support will be needed by a large
portion of the population in both territories for weeks. The Red Cross has
mobilized relief supplies to support our response efforts on the islands. This
includes: 20,000 comfort kits; 6,000 blankets; 5,000 cleanup kits; 8,000 tarps;
and thousands of flashlights, batteries, dust masks, and hand sanitizer. In
addition, the Red Cross has sent in generators, laptops, satellite phones and
radios to help our volunteers communicate and coordinate response efforts.
On
Puerto Rico, nearly 400 Red Cross workers are helping to reconnect families and
distribute critical relief supplies, including food and water. International
Red Cross workers are restoring connectivity for people impacted by the
hurricane and for humanitarian workers on the ground, installing satellites
that are enabling Puerto Ricans to reconnect with family members, charge their
phones and access information. The satellites and technology also help aid
workers as they coordinate relief efforts. In coordination with government and
non-profit partners, the Red Cross is helping to distribute water, ready-to-eat
meals, fresh fruit and vegetables, tarps and comfort kits. Emergency
distribution of water has been provided to several vulnerable communities which
were running out of water.
The Red
Cross has already mobilized more than 250 tractor-trailer loads of relief
supplies to help Puerto Rico. Red Cross teams are also assessing what
communities need, and providing health and mental health services.
On
Puerto Rico, shelters are managed by the government, but the Red Cross is
preparing to support sheltering efforts in case our assistance is needed. The
Red Cross supplies our hospital partners in Puerto Rico with blood products
collected in the continental U.S. With local blood collections on the island
significantly impacted by Hurricane Maria, the Red Cross has provided more than
1,000 blood and platelet products to help hospitals the Red Cross does not
typically supply. These supplies are in addition to ongoing blood product
distributions to Red Cross hospital partners in Puerto Rico. While
transportation logistics remain tremendously challenging both on and off the
island following the devastating storm, the Red Cross continues to deliver
blood and platelet shipments to Puerto Rico.
On the
U.S. Virgin Islands, the Red Cross is supporting shelters, serving meals and
snacks, and distributing relief supplies. More than 200 Red Crossers are
working around the clock to support people who are living in very difficult
conditions. Overnight, nearly 390 people stayed overnight in 7 evacuation shelters.
After back-to-back hurricanes, the Red Cross has handed out more than 10,000
relief items; served more than 36,000 meals and snacks; and provided more than
1,000 mental health and health services to people in need. Some people are
arriving at the shelters with medical needs and the Red Cross is helping them.
Red Cross Response
The Red
Cross is mobilizing volunteers and relief supplies to help those in need.
Getting relief materials to the islands is difficult, but the Red Cross is
working with federal, corporate and community partners to get supplies to the
region by both sea and air. The Red Cross relief effort stretches across
multiple states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Hurricane Irma
(Mainland Only)
Overnight,
almost 600 people stayed in 7 emergency shelters in Florida.
Along
with our partners, we have served more
than 1.4 million (1,432,000) meals and snacks across six states.
We’ve
distributed more than 647,000
relief items like diapers, bug spray, cleaning supplies, coolers, and comfort
kits containing deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene items
across six states.
Red
Cross volunteers have provided more
than 37,000 mental health and health services to support and care for those
affected across six states.
More than 1,300 Red Cross workers are responding to Irma now, with more than 100 additional volunteers on
the way.
127 emergency response vehicles are helping to deliver meals
and relief supplies across the hardest-hit areas in Florida.
Hurricanes Irma and
Maria (Puerto Rico and USVI)
In
Puerto Rico, more than 11,400
people stayed overnight in 163 government
evacuation shelters.
On the
U.S. Virgin Islands, almost 390
people stayed overnight in 7
evacuation shelters.
More than 600 Red Cross trained disaster workers are supporting relief
efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and dozens more are on the
way.
After
Irma’s landfall, disaster workers in Puerto Rico assisted hundreds of families
with necessities such as clothing, shoes, food and medicine. The Red Cross also
distributed more than 14,400
relief supplies; provided 5,400
meals and snacks; and, provided health services and emotional support to
families and evacuees.
To
support people on the U.S. Virgin Islands after both hurricanes, the Red Cross
has handed out more than 10,300
relief items; served more than 36,500 meals and snacks; and provided more than 1,000 mental health and health
services to people in need.
The Red
Cross is working very closely with the entire response community – government
agencies, other non-profit groups, faith-based organizations, area businesses
and others – to coordinate emergency relief efforts and get help to people as
quickly as possible. The Red Cross is also working with dozens of disaster
partners to support feeding, child care, disaster assessment and other disaster
services. Some of the partners we are coordinating with include The Peace
Corps, American Radio Relay League, Adventist Development and Relief Agency,
All Hands Volunteers, the Salvation Army, Save the Children, Southern Baptists
Disaster Relief, Team Rubicon, UNIDOS US and VOAD Puerto Rico.
How to Help
The
need for blood is constant. The Red Cross depends on generous volunteer blood
donors to provide lifesaving blood for those in need – each and every day – not
only during times of disaster. We are grateful to our dedicated donors who roll
up a sleeve to help their fellow American citizen.
Help
people affected by Hurricane Irma
by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word IRMA to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Help
people affected by Hurricane Maria
by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word MARIA to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
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.
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