"The response to Sandy is likely to be the biggest Red Cross response in the U.S. in the past five years. Your help is desperately needed. The people of Hawaii have always been generous during times of disasters and this response effort is huge. Please donate so that we can help those in need," said Coralie Chun Matayoshi, CEO, American Red Cross, Hawaii State Chapter.
As a Nor’easter heads toward the East Coast, the American Red Cross is preparing to respond to this new storm while our massive relief response to Superstorm Sandy grows by the day.
The Red Cross is sending in 80,000 blankets and bringing food and relief supplies to the hardest hit areas to get help where it is needed and extending reach into more affected communities each day.
While access to many areas remains challenging, an extensive feeding operation is underway to get hot meals to residents in New Jersey and all five boroughs of New York, including the hard-hit Staten Island. The Red Cross has fixed feeding sites serving meals today and volunteers are providing mobile distribution of water, meals and snacks in neighborhoods. Shelters are also open where people can escape the cold, receive a hot meal and obtain the latest information on help available to them.
As the Red Cross continues to escalate its massive response operations, more than 5,300 Red Cross workers from all over the country are supporting shelters, providing food and water at fixed sites, and driving through neighborhoods to distribute meals and supplies. The entire Red Cross fleet of response vehicles, more than 320 in total, has been activated to distribute meals, water, snacks and relief supplies.
To date, the Red Cross has helped families and individuals in ten states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico affected by Sandy. The Red Cross has:
• Served more than 1 million meals and snacks
• Provided more than 54,000 overnight stays out of a total of 92,000 provided by all organizations
• Made more than 17,000 health services and emotional support contacts
• Handed out more than 60,000 relief items
HOW TO HELP
To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. People can also use the “donate” feature on the free Red Cross Apps to support the Red Cross relief response. Contributions may also be sent to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013 or to the American Red Cross – Hawaii State Chapter, 4155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI 96816.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
