Red Cross Helping as Tropical Storm Elsa Makes Landfall in Florida

Tropical Storm Elsa will make landfall in Florida today and is already inundating parts of the state with heavy rain and strong winds. The American Red Cross is helping those affected and urges everyone to follow storm safety steps.

Elsa carries 65 mph winds and could drop as much as nine inches of rain, causing flooding, downed trees, power outages and a storm surge along the Gulf Coast. The storm is expected to bring tropical storm conditions as far north as the mid-Atlantic states before heading out to sea Friday.

Trained Red Cross disaster workers have opened or are supporting as many as 20 shelters in Florida where more than 225 people escaped the storm Tuesday night.

IF YOU NEED TO GO TO A SHELTER  Follow any evacuation orders from officials. To find an open shelter, visit redcross.org or download the free Red Cross app “Emergency” and view open facilities. If you don’t have access to a computer or smart phone, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).

We encourage anyone coming to a Red Cross emergency shelter to bring personal items for each member of their family, including prescription and emergency medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents and other comfort items. It’s also important to bring special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, and other items for family members who have unique needs.

Here are safety steps people should follow if they are in the path of these storms:

FLOODING SAFETY

• Turn around, don’t drown! Stay off the roads. If you must drive and you encounter a flooded roadway, turn around and go another way.
  
• Follow evacuation routes and do not try to take shortcuts because they may be blocked.
  
• If you are staying home, decide your best protection for high winds and flooding. Take shelter in a designated storm shelter or an interior room for high winds.
  
• Stay away from glass windows and doors.
  
• If you live in an area prone to flooding, move to higher ground before flooding begins.
  
• Tune into your local radio, NOAA radio or news channels for the latest updates.
  
• Stay away from floodwaters. Beware of snakes, insects and other animals that may be in or around floodwaters and your home.
  
• Keep children and pets away from hazardous sites and floodwaters.
  
• If power lines are down, don’t step in puddles or standing water.
  

POWER OUTAGE SAFETY

• Use flashlights in the dark — not candles.
  
• Eliminate unnecessary travel, especially by car. Traffic lights will be out and roads will be congested.
  
• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment and appliances. When power comes back on, surges or spikes can damage equipment.
  
• Leave one light on, so you’ll know when power is restored.
  
• Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or any partially enclosed area. Keep these devices outside away from doors, windows and vents, which could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors. Full generator safety information is available here.
  
• During a prolonged outage, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to protect your food.
  
  • Use perishable food from the refrigerator first, then, food from the freezer.
    
  • If the power outage continues beyond a day, prepare a cooler with ice for your freezer items. Keep food in a dry, cool spot and cover it at all times.
    

DOWNLOAD OUR APPS. The Red Cross app “Emergency” can help keep you and your loved ones safe with real-time alerts, shelter locations and safety advice. The Red Cross First Aid and Pet First Aid apps provide instant access to information on handling the most common emergencies. Download these apps for free by searching for ‘American Red Cross’ in your app store or at redcross.org/apps.

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.; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Truist Foundation; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and Wells Fargo.

ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; Aon; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; Fox Corporation; General Motors; HCA Healthcare; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; LHC Group; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mastercard; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stanley Black & Decker; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda Pharmaceutical; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation, Inc.; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; and The Wawa Foundation.

Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; American Express; Ameriprise Financial, Inc.; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Company; CSX; Darden Foundation; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Duke Energy; Equitable; FirstEnergy Foundation; Grainger; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Humble Bundle; Kaiser Permanente; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Lenovo; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; Procter & Gamble; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Technologies; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ross Stores Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southwest Airlines; U-Haul International; and U.S. Bank Foundation.