Media Contact: Bethany Bray Patterson

Telephone: 703-744-0343

Bethany.Patterson@redcross.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Red Cross provides help and hope locally and across the U.S. in a year of nonstop disasters

Climate crisis creates massive humanitarian need: Donate financially or give blood during the holidays to support lifesaving programs and services

BALTIMORE, WASHINGTON, D.C. AND WILMINGTON, DEC. 30, 2024 — In 2024, the climate crisis mounted an overwhelming toll on people across the U.S., who relied on the American Red Cross for relief and care as they faced the country’s second-highest number of billion-dollar disasters ever recorded.

To help, hundreds of local Red Cross volunteers have been part of teams responding nonstop to provide shelter, food and other assistance to tens of thousands of people reeling from this year’s hurricanes, floods and wildfires — all while continuing to provide critical programs and services here in the DMV region.

Local Red Crossers deployed to help those impacted by Hurricanes Beryl, Debby, Helene and Milton, as well as wildfires in New Mexico and numerous other disasters. This fall, more than 200 local Red Cross volunteers and emergency vehicles from the DMV and Delmarva were on the ground in Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia and other states as part of the Red Cross response to Milton and Helene. Local volunteers continue to play a part in the response as the Red Cross provides long-term recovery support for those impacted by disasters in 2024.

Whether a crisis happens in our backyard or a community across the country, people count on the Red Cross for help every day of the year. This holiday season, visit redcross.org to make a financial donation, an appointment to give blood or give the gift of time by volunteering.

RESPONDING TO OTHER HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

This year, the Red Cross addressed people’s urgent needs in other ways too:

·         SUPPORT AFTER HOME FIRES: This year, disaster response teams from the Red Cross of the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region responded to roughly 1,200 home fires – an average of 100 per month – to provide assistance to more than 2,100 local families. Compassionate Red Cross disaster responders are trained and ready to help 365 days/year, providing emotional and mental health support, financial assistance and other recovery resources to those impacted by home fires, explosions, floods and other emergencies.

·         MAKING HOMES SAFER: Having a working smoke alarm reduces the risk of death or injury in a home fire by 50 percent. That’s why we spend our Saturdays installing free smoke alarms in DMV communities and distributing fire safety information alongside our local fire department and emergency management partners. In 2024, the Red Cross of the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake region installed close to 4,000 free, lifesaving smoke alarms in local homes through the Sound The Alarm campaign.

·         BLOOD DONATIONS: The Red Cross held more than 6,000 blood drives throughout the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake region this year, collecting around 140,000 units of lifesaving blood. Newly-opened Red Cross blood donation centers in Annapolis, Maryland and Manassas and Dale City, Virginia make it even more convenient for local blood donors to give. Millions of blood donors nationwide, including here in the DMV, helped overcome a significant number of blood drive cancellations due to the country’s severe weather and heat. This support was critical because as the nation’s largest blood supplier, the Red Cross helped ensure patients continued accessing lifesaving treatment during major disasters by pre-positioning blood products near areas likely to be impacted — including in Georgia and Florida for Hurricane Helene and in Florida again just days later for Hurricane Milton.

·         LIFESAVING TRAINING: With emergency rooms experiencing a spike in heat illness visits amid the country’s extreme temperatures, American Red Cross instructors empowered millions this year with vital first aid, CPR and AED skills to help them prevent and respond to heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Here in the DMV area, 87,000 people enrolled in Red Cross training courses, including CPR and first aid as well as lifeguard training and other aquatics classes.

·         MILITARY FAMILIES: Through our 24/7, global Hero Care Network, local Red Cross workers supported military members, veterans and their families in the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region this year through roughly 8,500 case services, such as connecting deployed service members and loved ones during family emergencies.

Visit our year-in-review at RedCross.org/NCGC for more information about how the Red Cross of the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region helped people in Delmarva, Baltimore and the greater Washington D.C. areas in 2024.

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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