The American Red Cross has a huge relief response underway to Sandy, providing people across a number of states with a safe place to stay, food to eat and comfort during this difficult time.
“This response to Sandy is just getting started. The storm has left devastation in its wake and we will be helping people for weeks to come,” said Regional CEO, Joel Sullivan. “We are very proud of all of our volunteers who are representing Tennessee. We want to reiterate to the public that this effort will be very costly and the Red Cross needs help now. We ask everyone to support us as we help people recover from this massive storm.”
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEER REGION RESPONSE
After Wednesday’s deployment, the Tennessee Volunteer Region of the American Red Cross will have deployed 37 workers and 5 Emergency Response Vehicles. Red Cross workers from the Tennessee Volunteer Region including many trained responders from Rutherford and surrounding counties. More Red Cross volunteers and staff are expected to continue to deploy to help with relief efforts over the next few days, once it is safe to travel to affected areas.
Thousands of people have spent the night in hundreds of Red Cross shelters since the storm began its onslaught on the country. The Red Cross has already served more than 100,800 meals and snacks and mobilized more than 2,300 disaster workers and almost 200 emergency vehicles so far and more are being deployed.
How To Help
The response to Sandy is very large and very costly and the Red Cross needs the public’s help now. People can make a financial donation by visiting www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross, 501 Memorial Boulevard; Murfreesboro, TN 37129.
Give Blood
The storm has also caused the cancellation of hundreds of Red Cross blood drives, resulting in a loss of as many as 11,000 blood products and people are eligible are asked to schedule a blood donation now, especially if they live outside the areas impacted by the storm.
To schedule a donation time or get more information about giving blood, people can visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To give blood, someone must be at least 17 years of age, meet weight and height requirements and be in general good health. Donors should bring their Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID with them. Some states allow 16-year-olds to give with parental consent.
RED CROSS SHELTERS
If someone needs to find a shelter, they can download the Red Cross Hurricane app, visit the Red Cross web site, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or check local media outlets. People can let their loved ones know how they are by using the “I’m Safe” button on the Red Cross Hurricane App which can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. People can also register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website to let loved ones know they are okay. To register, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
