Contact: Jim Burns
831-332-8719 | jim.burns@redcross.org

24-hour Toll-Free Media Hotline:
669-209-5266 | NCCRpublicaffairs@redcross.org

The Central Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross, supported by volunteers and employees from throughout this Red Cross region continued this morning to support our county and emergency partners with around-the-clock work staffing six emergency evacuation centers that Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties established in advance of last night's threatening storm. 

As of 10 a.m. today (Wednesday, January 27), Red Cross teams were continuing to support three Temporary Evacuation Points (TEPs) that Santa Cruz County had opened at the following locations for residents from areas where there are mandatory evacuations:

• San Lorenzo Valley High School — 7105 Hwy 9, Felton, CA 95018
  
• Scotts Valley Community Center — 360 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley, CA 95066
  
• Pacific Elementary School — 50 Ocean Street, Davenport, CA 95017

Red Cross team were also continuing to support three TEPs for residents similarly affected by evacuation orders in Monterey County:

• Carmel Valley Library, 65 W. Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel, CA 93942
• Toro Park School, 22500 Portola Dr., Salinas, CA, 93908
• Chualar Elementary School, 24285 Lincoln St., Chualar, CA 93925

Earlier today, county teams indicated they were assessing their respective jurisdictions following the first wave of the storm in an effort to determine if all of these evacuation centers are still needed for storm evacuees. As we learn about any status changes to those TEPs, we will post that information on this regional Red Cross blog site. 

Sheltering evacuees who are unable to secure accommodations:

Because the pandemic has made establishing traditional "congregate" shelters more difficult, the American Red Cross has been working with our county and hotel partners to ensure that those under mandatory evacuation orders have safe sheltering options. Evacuees who are in need of shelter should check in at a Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP) so that their county can verify that they reside in a mandatory evacuation zone. Once that determination is made, the Red Cross has been working with these residents to try to secure accommodations in one of our partner hotels in the Central Coast area.

• Status of that work: As of midnight early Wednesday morning, the Red Cross was providing hotel accommodations for nearly 400 people (381) in nearly 200 (198) rooms. These rooms were in a total of 12 hotels (9 in Santa Cruz, 1 in Monterey, 1 in San Mateo County, and 1 in Aptos).

If you have questions about the support the local Red Cross chapter is providing during this emergency, please email Jim Burns or call him at 831-332-8719. Thank you! 

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Please prepare for emergencies before they happen: For tips and other information about a range of emergency situations, please visit redcross.org/gethelp to learn more. 

About American Red Cross of the Central Coast: With offices in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, visit our web site at redcross.org/centralcoast or call us at 831-624-6921. You may also find us on Facebook and Twitter.