The National Hurricane Center has issued tropical storm watches and warnings for portions of Florida for a storm predicted to make landfall in the state sometime this weekend. The American Red Cross is preparing to respond if necessary and urges anyone in the storm’s path to get their households ready now.
The storm is expected to turn into Tropical Storm Debby and bring strong winds, a three-foot high storm surge and as much as a foot of rain to Florida over the weekend.
The Red Cross is deploying trained disaster workers from across the country and sending Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs), meals and shelter and relief supplies to the area to be ready to support people if needed.
HOW TO HELP Please click, text or call to support Red Cross Disaster Relief and help people affected by disasters like storms, fires and countless other crises. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
IF YOU NEED A SAFE PLACE TO STAY Anyone who needs a safe place to stay or a warm meal can find shelter information on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). You can also find shelters by following your local Red Cross and local emergency officials on social media, or by monitoring local news.
Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or citizenship status. All disaster assistance is free. We don’t require people to show any kind of identification to enter a shelter — just their name and where they were living before the disaster.
If possible, people who plan to stay in a shelter should bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents. Don’t forget to bring any special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, or for family members who have unique needs.
We do everything we can to accommodate service animals and domesticated pets comfortably in our shelters. Sometimes, depending on the situation, pets may need to be housed in a different location with support from local partners.
DO YOU HAVE TO EVACUATE? If you are asked to evacuate your neighborhood, be prepared to evacuate quickly and leave the area if local officials tell you to do so. Don’t return home until officials say it is safe to do so. Use caution and avoid debris, fallen power lines, poles and wires.
Plan in advance where you will go, how you will get there and where you will stay. If you need help leaving or use public transportation, you may need extra time to evacuate. Don’t forget your pets. If it’s not safe for you, it’s not safe to leave them behind.
Take your emergency go-kit with three days of supplies like food, water and medicine. Include backup batteries and chargers for your devices (phone, CPAP, wheelchair, etc.) Follow evacuation routes and don’t try to take shortcuts because they may be blocked.
STEPS TO SAFETY ─ FLOODING Turn around, don’t drown! Don’t walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Stay off the roads. If you must drive and you encounter a flooded roadway, turn around and go another way. Follow evacuation routes and don’t try to take shortcuts because they may be blocked. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising around you, quickly get out of the car, move to higher ground and stay there.
STEPS TO SAFETY ─ POWER OUTAGE During a power outage, unplug appliances and electronics to avoid damage from power surges. Leave one light on, so you’ll know when power is restored. Use flashlights or battery-operated lanterns — not candles to avoid fires. Don’t drive unless necessary. Traffic lights will be out and roads could be congested. Decide if you need to stay or go if your home is too hot or cold, or if you have medical devices that need power.
STEPS TO SAFETY ─ GENERATORS If you’re using a generator, keep it dry and don’t use it in wet conditions. Never use a generator, grill, camp stove or other gasoline, propane, natural gas or charcoal-burning device inside a home, garage, basement or other partially enclosed area. Keep this equipment outside and away from doors, windows and vents, which could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
Operate the generator on a dry surface and don’t touch a generator with wet hands. Turn the generator off and let it cool down before refueling. Gasoline spilled on hot engine parts could catch fire. Plug appliances directly into the generator. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. Carbon monoxide kills. If you start to feel sick, dizzy or weak, get to fresh air right away.
CLIMATE CRISIS As the climate crisis worsens and disasters become more frequent and intense, families are depending on the Red Cross for comfort and support on a nearly continuous basis. Today, we’re responding to twice as many major disasters as a decade ago. Plus, the number of billion-dollar disasters has increased 85% over the same time period. As big disasters become more frequent, the needs are compounding while communities and response organizations have less time to recover between events.
Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster, regardless of cost.
ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; CMA CGM Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; Nationwide Foundation; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo
ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; DHL Supply Chain; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company Fund; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Mastercard; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Paul Davis Restoration; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stryker; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Zoetis
Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; ALDI; American Tire Distributors; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railroad Association; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Dollar Tree and Family Dollar; Duke Energy; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; L’Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LKQ; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Martin Marietta; Masco; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation; Phillips 66; Prudential; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reliance, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Stephen’s Inc.; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Ulta Beauty; U.S. Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich
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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