The Gulf Coast needs your help. Watching the footage coming from the southeast region can feel daunting.
Close to 750,000 people are without power in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, according to power providers Entergy and Cleco.
Hurricane safety when the lights go out
Thousands of National Guard members are on hand to assist in rescue efforts, and relief organizations are on the ground.
“We’re still very much in the middle of a major storm,” said Daphne Hart, a Red Cross spokeswoman. “The flooding is a huge concern.”
The Red Cross has deployed 2,400 disaster workers from Florida to Texas. On Tuesday night, more than 5,200 people spent the night in one of 79 shelters open across six states.
“We have nearly 200 emergency response vehicles that have been prepositioned in safe areas along the Gulf Coast,” Hart said. “And as soon as it’s safe to do so, those vehicles as well as disaster assessment teams will be canvassing the area trying to determine what the needs are.
“It could be anything from serving people hot meals as they’re in their home trying to clean up, distributing clean-up kits with items such as rakes, shovels, gloves and trash bags, and just trying to get people back on their feet.”
To assist the Red Cross in its efforts, you can donate by visiting the website, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
If you or a loved one are in one of the affected areas, you can also let people know you are safe by registering on the Red Cross’ Safe and Well page.
The Salvation Army has emergency response teams and supplies in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and other states. They have 24 mobile feeding units and a 54-foot field kitchen that can provide up to 31,000 meals.
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How You Can Help The Gulf Coast After Hurricane Isaac was originally published on elev8.com
