Gainesville, October 4, 2015 – As historic rainfall and flooding continue to unfold in the Southeast, Georgia’s Red Cross remains vigilant and prepared to respond to disasters statewide as needed.
“Today, we’re still actively coordinating with state and local emergency partners, keeping a close eye on river levels, and making sure our volunteers and supplies are ready to go, ” said Eric Corliss, Red Cross Disaster Officer for Georgia. “Once things stabilize in Georgia, we’ll release people and vehicles to help our hard-hit neighbors in the Carolinas and other states.”
The Red Cross tracks potential disasters and prepares to respond to them well in advance of their arrival. Volunteers are put on alert, supplies are stocked and staged and shelters are pre-identified. The Red Cross is also ready to move blood around the country to wherever and whenever it is needed most through its national inventory system.
With more windy conditions today in Georgia and saturated ground in many places, the Red Cross anticipates that tree falls on homes will join home fires as the most common volunteer disaster response in local communities. In fact, tree falls on homes accounted for at least four overnight responses in Northeast Georgia.
By downloading the free Red Cross Emergency! App, people can keep informed of weather conditions in their communities as well as those where loved ones live, anywhere in the country. The app puts information on what to do before, during and after a flood or other disaster at your fingertips and gives real time information on the location of open shelters. Red Cross apps are available in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to www.redcross.org/apps.
In addition to flooding on the East Coast, the Red Cross is still helping people impacted by wildfires in California. People can help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief to support disasters big and small by visiting redcorss.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
