Local Red Cross Volunteers Provide Support Following Idalia’s Landfall
PROVIDENCE, RI (August 31, 2023) – Hundreds of American Red Cross disaster responders are supporting people after Hurricane Idalia rapidly intensified before making landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm with destructive winds and an extremely dangerous storm surge.
There are currently 15 volunteers from the Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region already in Florida or on their way to the area to support the community in the aftermath of Idalia’s landfall.
Idalia came ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region, the strongest storm to hit that area in more than 125 years. Hurricane conditions are expected along the Gulf Coast and inland across northern Florida and southern Georgia. Idalia could be at tropical storm strength when it moves into the Carolinas. Considerable impacts from flooding are possible from Florida through Georgia and the Carolinas.
RED CROSS RESPONSE Tuesday night almost 5,000 people found a safe place to stay in 111 evacuation shelters across Florida. Of these, the Red Cross is directly managing 17 shelters with some 560 residents. In Georgia, one shelter was opened Tuesday night. We anticipate this number will increase throughout the day as the storm moves north.
In advance of Idalia, the Red Cross mobilized more than 500 disaster responders to help, along with 45 specialty response vehicles and truckloads of supplies. This includes technology equipment, some 100,000 ready-to-eat meals and enough shelter supplies to support 20,000 individuals. Additional volunteers and emergency supplies are on standby in case they are needed. When it is safe to do so, Red Cross disaster responders will begin damage assessment and support partners as evacuation centers transition to congregate shelters.
The Red Cross also stocked hospitals in the Florida Panhandle with additional blood products to ensure they are able to keep adequate inventory on the shelves if transportation routes are impacted. In addition, the Red Cross pre-positioned blood products in other areas of the Southeast in advance of the storm and stands ready to provide additional blood products if hospitals need support.
YOU CAN HELP Help people affected by Hurricane Idalia by visiting redcross.org, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word IDALIA to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Financial contributions to Hurricane Idalia enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.
