American Red Cross shelters have opened across the state of Florida and not a moment too soon for residents who were displaced by Hurricane Ian’s path of destruction. Saturday night, more than 3,400 people sought refuge in as many as 39 Red Cross and partner shelters across Florida.

Evelyn Oxford was one of the thousands forced to evacuate when her home of 41 years in Kissimmee, Florida flooded. She arrived at the emergency shelter at the Kissimmee Civic Center seeking refuge for herself and her dog.

As the storm approached, Evelyn anxiously prepared her home. “I heard it was coming and I washed and cleaned everything,” she said.

Despite the hope she wouldn’t have to evacuate, a shrieking emergency alert on her phone woke Evelyn up at three a.m. warning her of flooding danger. “I was on the couch and put my feet down into ankle deep water,” Oxford said. “And it kept getting deeper.”

The house became uninhabitable as nine inches of water ultimately flooded the home.

“I’ve lived in Kissimmee since 1981 and I’ve been through lots of hurricanes,” she said. “I lived through Hurricanes Charley, Jeanne and Francis, but I’ve never seen this kind of damage ever.”

The relentless pace of severe disasters has created more ongoing emergency needs — for individuals like Evelyn, who have been affected year after year by extreme weather events. Over the last two years, the Red Cross has responded to a new, major disaster response every ten days, on average.

Even in the face of disaster and destruction, Evelyn remains grateful. She is safe. Her dog is safe. And she has plenty of support.

“I have at least 20 people helping me clean the house,” she said. “When the house dries out, we’ll repaint, and it will be better than it was before.”

Evelyn is equally appreciative of the Red Cross and its volunteers.

“It’s a godsend for the American Red Cross to be here and to help everybody and to be so compassionate and so understanding,” she beamed. “It gives you a sense of community and a sense of security.”

Evelyn is just one of the people devastated by Hurricane Ian. To help people affected by Hurricane Ian, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word IAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation.