Needs of People in Louisiana Remain Great; Red Cross Still Sheltering 7,000+, Serving Thousands of Meals

Courtney Robinson (center) is nearly certain that her home is destroyed because of the record flooding in Louisiana. She is staying at a Red Cross shelter with her five children and husband who fled the flood waters with some food and water and a change of clothes for the family. She shared their story with Red Cross relief worker Elizabeth Stander, and Rachel Ambeau, who is also displaced and staying at the Red Cross shelter, in Gonzales, Louisiana. Red Cross Photo by Marko Kokic

Louisiana hit by 6.9 trillion gallons of rain – enough to fill 10.4 million Olympic pools

The American Red Cross continues to help thousands of people impacted by the flooding in Louisiana where the situation remains dire. More than 7,000 people remained in Red Cross and community shelters Tuesday night and thousands more are without power in hot, humid conditions.

The Red Cross and its partners have served almost 100,000 meals and snacks since the onset of the flooding. The Red Cross has also mobilized over 60 disaster response vehicles, nearly 40,000 ready-to-eat meals, and dozens of trailers filled with shelter and kitchen supplies to bolster relief efforts.

So far, 65 volunteers from Tennessee have deployed, with more on their way.

 “Thousands of people in Louisiana have lost everything they own and need our help now,” said Brad Kieserman, vice president, Disaster Services Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross. “This disaster is the worst to hit the United States since Superstorm Sandy and we anticipate it will cost at least $30 million, a number which may grow as we learn more about the scope and magnitude of the devastation. Please consider making a financial donation to the Red Cross today to support the people of Louisiana.”

HOW TO HELP People can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word LAFLOODS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recovery from these disasters.

One resident escaping the floodwaters in a Red Cross shelter in Gonzalez, LA, is 81-year-old Doreen Ulm, who survived air raids in London during World War II and because of the floodwaters is at a shelter for the first time since the war. Courtney Robinson, her husband and five children are almost sure their home is destroyed and are also taking refuge from the flooding in a Red Cross shelter. They fled their home with only some food and water and a change of clothes for the family. These are just two of the thousands of people impacted by this devastating flooding.

RELIEF EFFORT Several hundred Red Crossers are on the ground in Louisiana now, and by Friday there will be more than 1,000 workers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition, hundreds more local volunteers are continuing to support relief efforts.

These Red Cross workers and disaster partners such as Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, the NAACP, Islamic Relief USA, Church of the Brethren Children’s Disaster Services, Save the Children, AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, AFL-CIO, Verizon, Duracell, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Baton Route YMCA and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are working together to help people impacted by the flooding.

Doreen Ulm, 81, survived air raids in London during World War II, and now because of the flooding in Louisiana, she’s at a shelter for the first time since the war. She shared her story with Red Cross relief worker Lynette Nyman, at the Red Cross shelter in Gonzales, Louisiana. Red Cross Photo by Marko Kokic

FINDING LOVED ONES Residents of the affected areas can connect with their loved ones by using the “I’m Safe” button on the Red Cross Emergency App which is free and can be found in the app store for someone’s mobile device by searching for “American Red Cross” or by going to redcross.org/apps.

People can also visit www.redcross.org/safeandwell to register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website, a secure and private way that friends and family connect. The site also allows people to update their status on Facebook and Twitter.

BECOME A VOLUNTEER To become a Red Cross volunteer, visit redcross.org today to learn more about volunteer opportunities and how to submit a volunteer application.