MOBILE, Ala. – September 1, 2010 – The American Red Cross is helping people already affected by Hurricane Earl in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and preparing for any landfall the huge storm may make along the eastern coastline of the United States. Up and down the coast from Georgia to Maine, the Red Cross has trained disaster workers, more than 150 mobile response vehicles and four warehouses stocked with relief supplies on alert.
Earl has strengthened to a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of 125 mph extending outward as far as 70 miles from the center of the storm. The National Hurricane Center has urged people from the Carolinas to New England to closely monitor the storm as it makes its way toward the United States. The storm, approximately 500 miles wide, could cause flooding and high winds to areas inland as well as along the coastline. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fiona has also formed in the Atlantic, with sustained winds of 60 mph.
"We are making preparations for Earl's landfall, but we urge everyone who may be in the path of the storm to also get prepared," said Joe Becker, senior vice president, Red Cross Disaster Services. "Early predictions indicate the storm will affect those who are miles inland. Being ready is your best protection against a storm like this."
The Red Cross sheltered more than 50 people overnight Monday on the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, after winds and torrential rains caused flooding and damage to area homes. In Puerto Rico, the Red Cross assisted its government partners by providing help to stranded airport travelers. A seven-member Red Cross disaster-relief team is in the area assisting with logistics, feeding, mass care and operations. Red Cross warehouses on the islands are stocked with additional disaster relief supplies that are ready to be dispatched where needed.
The island of Antigua was heavily affected by the storm and more than 300 people took refuge in shelters, where the Red Cross provided first aid and food. The Antigua and Barbuda Red Cross Society, Saint Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society, and Overseas Branches of the Netherlands, British and French Red Cross Societies worked with government authorities to set up shelters for evacuees and provided first aid and food with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
If you would like to help, there are a variety of ways that you can: You can click, text or call to make a financial donation to the Red Cross to help people affected by this storm and other disasters. Visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The storm may also impact blood collections in the affected areas. To find out how you can be a blood donor, visit www.redcrossblood.org.
Help people affected by disasters like Hurricane Earl by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.org.
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About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
About the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter:
Since 1917, the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter has been upholding the American Red Cross mission of providing relief to victims of disaster and helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies in Mobile, Baldwin, Clarke, Monroe, and West Escambia Counties. The American Red Cross is a volunteer organization supported by the donations of the people in our community. The American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter is a United Way Partner Agency. Verizon Wireless is the official wireless provider for the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter.