Hurricane Harvey: Red Cross Mounting Massive Relief Effort

Most Deadly and Devastating Hurricane Forecast to Strike U.S. in Over a Decade: Red Cross Mounting Massive Relief Effort

Red Cross Offers Critical Flood Safety Steps as Storm Nears Land; Urges Gulf Coast Residents to Heed Evacuation Orders

Washington, D.C., August 25, 2017 — As Hurricane Harvey nears land, the American Red Cross is mounting a massive relief effort ahead of the most deadly and devastating hurricane forecast to strike the United States in over a decade.

Hurricane Harvey will make landfall tonight along the Texas Gulf Coast with over 100 mph winds and up to 35 inches of rain, leading to devastating and life-threatening flooding. Tornadoes are also possible. The storm is expected to hover over parts of Texas and Louisiana for several days

Evacuation orders are in effect throughout parts of the two states. More than 90 people spent Thursday night in 7 Red Cross shelters and nearly 50 additional shelters are ready to open and support thousands of people if needed. People in the path of this storm should stay informed and immediately heed any evacuation orders underway from local officials.

“This is a dangerous storm and the next few days are going to challenge everyone along the Gulf Coast. This is the time for folks to come together to support one another,” said Brad Kieserman, vice president of Disaster Services Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross. “We are launching our largest hurricane relief effort in years, and with the help of our partners, we are ready to shelter thousands of people.”

The Red Cross is mobilizing hundreds of trained Red Cross disaster relief workers, truckloads of kitchen supplies, and tens of thousands of ready-to-eat meals to support this response effort. Trailers full of shelter supplies including cots and blankets—enough to support more than 20,000 people—are arriving in Texas today. More than 40 Red Cross emergency response vehicles are activated with more on alert. The Red Cross is also working in close collaboration with government officials and community partners in both Texas and Louisiana to coordinate potential response efforts.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Harvey by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

HURRICANE SAFETY STEPS

People can find a shelter by visiting redcross.org or by downloading the free Red Cross Emergency App. The Emergency App also puts real time information about the storm and hurricane safety tips at your fingertips. The app is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps. People should also follow these safety steps:

Continue listening to local area radio, NOAA radio or TV stations for the latest information and updates.
If your neighborhood is prone to flooding, be prepared to evacuate quickly if necessary.
Follow evacuation orders and do not attempt to return until officials say it is safe to do so.
Head for higher ground and stay there.
Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way.
Turn around, don’t drown. If driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
Keep children out of the water.
Be especially cautious at night when it’s harder to see flood danger.
During the storm:

Stay indoors.
Don’t walk on beaches, riverbanks or in flood waters.
Use flashlights in the dark if the power goes out. Do NOT use candles.
Turn off the power and water mains if instructed to do so by local authorities.
Don’t forget your pets. Bring them indoors and maintain direct control of them. Prepare an emergency kit for your pets, including sturdy leashes or pet carriers, food and water, bowls, cat litter and pan, and photos of you with your pet in case they get lost.
CORPORATIONS HELP  The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.



ADGP $1 Million members are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Disney; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; General Motors Foundation; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Wawa Foundation.

ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Boise Paper; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Farmers Insurance; Ford Motor Company; Humble Bundle; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; McDonald’s Corporation; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; Reynolds American Foundation; Ryder; Southwest Airlines; Sunoco; TD Ameritrade; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; and Wells Fargo.



Disaster Responder Program members are: Adobe; Alcoa; Alliance Data; Astellas USA Foundation; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA; The Ball Foundation; BNY Mellon; CarMax; Cox Automotive; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; IBM Corporation; IHG Foundation; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Land O’Lakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Foundation; SC Johnson; SERVPRO; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Standard Textile; Toyota; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; The USAA Foundation; U.S. Bank; and Visa.
About the American Red Cross:


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 redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

American Red Cross Partners with Round It Up America

WASHINGTON, December 4, 2012 — The American Red Cross joins forces with Round It Up America® (RIUA) in an innovative charitable giving program endorsed by the National Restaurant Association that provides restaurant patrons with the opportunity to “round up” their credit card bill, automatically contributing to Red Cross Disaster Relief and other worthy causes.

“Round It Up America® shows that when people come together to help, the smallest gifts become a force powerful enough to make a huge difference for those whose lives have been devastated by disaster” said Neal Litvack, Chief Development Office at the American Red Cross. “Thanks to partnering restaurants in this program and patrons who donate after dining, the Red Cross is able to provide critical disaster relief when and where it’s needed most.”

Ten percent of all RIUA donations are being allocated to Red Cross Disaster Relief that helps provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to people affected by disasters—natural and man-made—ranging from local home fires to major tornadoes, wildfires, floods and hurricanes that impact communities across the U.S. each and every year.

In 2009, Harald Herrmann, President and CEO of Yard House Restaurants, and Jennifer Weerheim, Vice President of Marketing for Yard House, launched Round It Up America® with Yard House as the first participating restaurant chain. Yard House raised approximately $350,000 in the first full year. Today, there are participating restaurants, termed Mission Partners, in 16 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii, raising an average of $20 a day. Building a national philanthropic movement within the restaurant industry, Round It Up America® is poised to raise millions of dollars for charity.

“We encourage our restaurants and patrons to support Round It Up America® because it’s a solution for giving,” says Jennifer Weerheim. “We’ve found that people are more than willing to donate on a micro level, giving just a little, which adds up to a lot over the course of a year. A little truly does go a long way. The program allows us to contribute to causes like the Red Cross that are near and dear to our hearts.”

Both RIUA Co-Founders travelled to Joplin, Missouri to donate tornado relief funds last year in-person. And after witnessing Red Cross efforts first hand, they knew then that they wanted to partner with the Red Cross and allocate a percentage of all RIUA donations to Red Cross Disaster Relief.

Recipient charities will receive donations quarterly with some 75 percent of all donations going to Mission Partner-selected charities. Ten percent of all donations automatically benefit American Red Cross Disaster Relief and eight percent support the National Restaurant Association and State Restaurant Association Educational Foundations’ ProStart® Programs.

The Red Cross is also administering the program on a national basis, providing the necessary resources to cultivate partners, process gifts and report on the program's success, and will receive an additional four percent of funds for this administrative support.

Restaurant companies with an American presence can obtain information to apply to participate in Round It Up America® via rounditupamerica.org.

Current RIUA Mission Partners (most with multiple locations) include: Yard House Restaurants; Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ; Hof’s Hut; Cohn Restaurant Group; Cameron Mitchell Restaurants; Famous Dave’s; Rusty Bucket; and Maria’s Italian Kitchen. A list of participating locations can be found at rounditupamerica.org.

About Round It Up America®

Founded by leaders in the restaurant industry, Harald Herrmann, President and CEO of Yard House Restaurants and Jennifer Weerheim, Vice President of Marketing for Yard House, Round It Up America® (RIUA) is a non-profit organization that strives to make change across America through a simple, yet powerful charitable giving program. Mission Partners – participating RIUA restaurants – provide their patrons with the opportunity to "round up" their purchases to the nearest dollar or more upon the close of credit card sales. Donations are then distributed to charities quarterly. For information about Round It Up America®, visit rounditupamerica.org.

Red Cross One-Month Report on Superstorm Sandy

WASHINGTON - The American Red Cross today issued a progress report on its efforts over the past month to provide food, water, shelter, relief supplies, healthcare and other assistance to people affected by Superstorm Sandy.

“During this first month, the Red Cross has provided emergency relief to many people affected by Superstorm Sandy. But there is still much work to be done, and we will continue to provide help and hope for weeks and months to come,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “This is our biggest U.S. disaster response in more than five years, and we are incredibly grateful for the generous support across the country that has enabled us to help the survivors of this storm.”

Hurricane Sandy was a major storm that impacted an area the size of Europe. The Red Cross mobilized more than 14,400 trained disaster workers to date – 90 percent of them volunteers - to help people affected by the storm. Today, nearly 3,000 workers are still on the job, providing food, water, shelter and relief