Media Contact:       

Christine Welch, Communications Director
Email: christine.welch@redcross.org
Phone: 909-374-0376       

                                                                    

With evacuation orders lifted and atmospheric river having passed, Red Cross to close temporary disaster shelter location at Balboa Park Municipal Gymnasium

SAN DIEGO — February 7, 2024 — After consultation with the City of San Diego Office of Emergency Services and County of San Diego Office of Emergency Services, the American Red Cross-managed temporary disaster shelter at Balboa Park Municipal Gymnasium will close on Thursday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m. 

No families or individuals who were initially displaced from their homes from recent storms currently remain in the shelter. They have moved out of the shelter with the assistance of the Red Cross and our government and nonprofit partners.

Remaining shelter residents are pre-disaster unhoused individuals. Red Cross caseworkers and the City of San Diego Homeless Outreach Team have been working one-on-one with these individuals to provide resources and next steps. The Red Cross has continually worked with partners who serve people experiencing homelessness to find more sustainable housing options for these individuals.

The American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties is thankful for the work of the San Diego Housing Commission, which has helped find solutions for individuals and families who were displaced from their homes due to the storms and flooding.

As of today, in total, the Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties has provided shelter to 189 individuals total at our temporary disaster shelter locations; provided 976 overnight stays at our temporary disaster shelters; served over 6,000 meals and snacks and distributed more than 550 cleanup items to those affected by the recent floods. 185 Red Cross disaster workers, including disaster health, disaster mental health and disaster spiritual health volunteers, have been supporting response efforts around the clock since flooding began on January 22.

Red Cross teams have also been out in impacted communities and have performed over 700 disaster assessments in affected areas, opening cases with impacted families to assist them with recovery support.

Anyone in need of Red Cross assistance who has not been in touch with our teams already can always call 1-800-RED CROSS to connect with us and receive more information on what support may be available to them.

For more information on our response efforts, please visit redcross.org/SoCal.
 

About the American Red Cross Southern California Region   
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 public to perform its mission. The Red Cross Southern California Region proudly serves San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties. In addition to carrying out disaster preparedness and response programs, blood collection, health and safety training, international services programs and supporting the military community, the Southern California Region provides nutritional counseling through its Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in San Diego and helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters through its Prepare SoCal and Prepare San Diego initiatives. For more information, please visit redcross.org/SoCal or cruzrojaamericana.org, or connect with us on Facebook , X , Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

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