Thousands Still Need Red Cross Help Weeks after Hurricane Laura Landfall

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Thousands of people are coming to service sites set up by the Red Cross and partners to get water, food and emergency relief supplies. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

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Red Cross volunteers hand out water at a drive-thru distribution site for families in need after Hurricane Laura. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

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Thousands of people are coming to service sites set up by the Red Cross and partners to get water, food and emergency relief supplies. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

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Michele Grady of the American Red Cross hands out meals at a drive-thru distribution point for families affected by Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, LA. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton

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American Red Cross volunteers Jordan Poythress, left, and Dustin Kuhn set out emergency cleaning kits for distribution in Winnfield, LA. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton

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American Red Cross volunteers Clarence Davis, left, and Sandra Arthur help load vehicles at the Red Cross headquarters in Baton Rouge that will deliver emergency supplies to people in need after Hurricane Laura. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

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People impacted by Hurricane Laura form a long line of vehicles to receive water and relief supplies at a drive-thru distribution site for in Winnfield, LA. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

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Joy and her children, Sara, 8 years, and Michael, 10 years old receive meals at a hotel that is being used as an American Red Cross shelter in New Orleans for families displaced by Hurricane Laura. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton

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Richard Stevenson talks with Dallas Teague Snider of the American Red Cross while picking up a meal at a hotel that is being used as an American Red Cross shelter in New Orleans for families displaced by Hurricane Laura. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton

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After delivering meals to local residents in need, an American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle drives through a neighborhood damaged by Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton

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Thousands of people are coming to service sites set up by the Red Cross and partners to get water, food and emergency relief supplies. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

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Red Crosser Donald Lamanna is at the Red Cross facility in Baton Rouge, LA, getting relief supplies ready to be distributed to families affected by Hurricane Laura. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

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Red Crosser Dan Kelly serves a meal using safe social distancing to Patricia Simmons at the Red Cross shelter in Alexandria, LA. Red Cross photo by Scott Dalton.

September 24, 2020

Though media coverage has turned to other subjects, thousands of people in Louisiana and east Texas are hoping someone remembers them as they continue to face the devastation left behind almost a month ago by Hurricane Laura. The American Red Cross is there making sure people have a safe place to stay, food, water and other assistance as they work to recover.

RED CROSS RESPONSE

More than 780 trained Red Cross disaster workers are still on the ground supporting dozens of service sites where people can get water, food and relief supplies.
Wednesday night, the Red Cross and our partners provided more than 15,900 people with a safe place to stay in emergency lodgings, including hotels and shelters.
With the help of partners, the Red Cross has already served more than 1.2 million meals and snacks and distributed more than 168,600 relief items and cleaning supplies to help people affected by Laura.
Volunteers have also provided more than 31,000 individual care contacts to help people with medical or disability needs or provide emotional and spiritual support during this challenging time. This also includes replacing prescription medications, eyeglasses or other medical equipment.
Since Laura first threatened the Gulf Coast, the Red Cross and our partners have provided nearly 486,000 total overnight stays in emergency lodgings.

The Red Cross will be in Louisiana and east Texas for as long as it takes, working beside partners to help people rebuild their lives. Every disaster is different and so are the needs of each affected community and family. The Red Cross works closely with local partners to create plans and coordinate recovery services to ensure people get the assistance that they need to get back on their feet.

The Red Cross is connecting one-on-one with people still in emergency lodgings to help plan for their next steps. We are also reaching out to households whose primary residence was destroyed or sustained major damage from Hurricane Laura to offer assistance.

Visit the Red Cross Louisiana Facebook page for service site locations. People affected by Hurricane Laura may be eligible for federal Disaster Assistance. Apply at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.In Texas, people can also visit gov.texas.gov/hurricane for a list of resources. In Louisiana, people can visit hurricanelaura.la.gov or contact their local parish emergency preparedness office for help.

You can help by making a donation or becoming a volunteer. Make a difference in the lives of people impacted by Hurricanes Sally and Laura by visiting redcross.org, calling 800-RED-CROSS or texting the word HURRICANES to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support and other assistance. Ensure your donation helps people affected by Hurricanes Sally and Laura by choosing that option on redcross.org/donate or 800-RED-CROSS.

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.

CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

ADGP $1 Million members are: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; The Home Depot Foundation; Latter-day Saint Charities; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; UPS; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; and Wells Fargo.

ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; Aon; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative; Ford Motor Company; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Grainger; HCA Healthcare; IBM Corporation; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; LHC Group; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; Progressive Insurance; PwC Charitable Foundation; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Sands Cares; Southwest Airlines; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; The USAA Foundation, Inc.; Visa Foundation; and The Wawa Foundation.

Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; American Express; Assurant; AstraZeneca; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; BMW of North America; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; Consumer Cellular; CSX; DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dominion Energy; Duke Energy; Duke Realty; Equitable; Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Humble Bundle; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Lenovo; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Mastercard; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; The Pfizer Foundation; Procter & Gamble; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Technologies; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; Trane Technologies Charitable Foundation; U-Haul International; and U.S. Bank Foundation.

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.