Volunteer disaster responders with the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois responded to 19 fires from Monday, September 16 to today across the region including fires in Joliet, Oak Park, Robbins, Rockford, Crystal Lake, Maywood, Alsip and more with 10 of these fires taking place in Chicago.
The Red Cross provided assistance to 135 individuals, including 27 residents of a senior apartment building in Wicker Park that were temporarily displaced by a fire. Our volunteers helped 99 adults and 36 children with temporary housing, food, clothing and comfort kits with toiletry items, information about recovery services and health and mental health services and, depending on the circumstances, financial assistance.
The Red Cross responds to 3 to 4 home fires every day in Northern Illinois. The Red Cross recommends two easy steps to help protect your home and loved ones from a fire: get a smoke alarm and create a fire escape plan. For more Red Cross fire safety and preparedness information visit www.redcross.org/prepare.
Also, in the past week, seven volunteers with the Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois were deployed to Texas to assist with the relief efforts after Tropical Depression Imelda caused flooding in the Southeast part of the state. Our volunteers will be providing comfort to those affected and helping with logistics, including organizing meals in shelters, casework and disaster mental health services.
Meanwhile, in the Bahamas, people remaining in communities damaged by Hurricane Dorian continue to need emergency materials and help recovering from the storm. The global Red Cross network has started rolling out a major emergency relief effort. Red Cross teams are distributing emergency shelter supplies and hygiene items on both Abaco and Grand Bahama.
The American Red Cross has committed $4.5 million to support those affected in the Bahamas by Dorian and has deployed 21 disaster response specialists to provide support to the relief operation in the Bahamas.
HOW YOU CAN HELP You can help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Call, click, or text to give: visit redcross.org, call 1-800 RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. To donate by check or to a specific cause, please complete this donation form by printing and mailing to your local Red Cross chapter.
About the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois:
The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties including Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. 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, please visit us at redcross.org/il/chicago or visit us on Twitter @ChicagoRedCross.