Thursday, September 12, 2019 — On September 8 of last year, an extremely dangerous storm named Hurricane Florence slammed into the Carolinas with catastrophic flooding and life-threatening tidal surges.
In the storm’s wake, rising rivers and streams continued to inundate communities in the Carolinas for days and even weeks.
Joining with partners, the American Red Cross helped support shelters across the Carolinas, ensuring that disaster survivors had a safe refuge from the storm. Through partners like Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Red Cross disaster workers provided warm meals and snacks in the shelters and visited storm-ravaged communities to deliver water and meals.
Many of those fleeing the storm had little time to get things ready. The Red Cross stepped in, providing comfort kits containing basic supplies like toothbrushes, personal hygiene items, deodorant and shampoo, as well as other essentials like diapers. And later, as people began the backbreaking work of sorting through storm debris and cleaning out flood-damaged homes, Red Cross workers delivered coolers, bug spray and cleanup supplies like rakes, shovels and buckets.
Throughout our emergency response, thousands of Red Cross disaster workers provided:
To help the most severely impacted people pick up the pieces and begin rebuilding, the Red Cross has provided more than $20 million in financial assistance to thousands of households.
This included giving 6,600 households some $4.6 million in immediate financial assistance after Hurricane Florence made landfall to help them meet some of their most urgent needs in the storm’s aftermath. This immediate assistance helped families with basics like groceries, utilities, clothing, or help with rent and security deposits.
After our emergency response ended, the Red Cross provided additional financial assistance for severely impacted households in need of extra recovery support. As of September 3, 2019, the Red Cross has provided $15.9 million in financial assistance payments to more than 6,300 households to support longer term needs. This assistance helped individuals and families pay for temporary housing, make essential repairs to flood-damaged homes, replace lost appliances and furniture, and much more.
Along with financial assistance for severely affected residents, the Red Cross is also supporting community-based recovery efforts in North and South Carolina through strategic grants to nonprofit organizations with a strong track record of providing vital services. With more than $4 million awarded so far, grant recipients are providing a wide range of support in impacted communities across both states.
None of our response or recovery assistance would be possible without the extraordinary support of our donors. The Red Cross received $69.4 million, including the value of critical donated goods and services, to help Hurricane Florence survivors in the Carolinas. And at the one-year mark, over 82 percent – or approximately $57 million – has already been programmed for emergency relief and recovery efforts. The remaining funds will be used to help with unmet needs for individuals, families and communities affected by Hurricane Florence.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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