MOBILE, Ala., April 29, 2010 — Ms. Martha Bell is a highly trained local Red Cross volunteer and she is leaving today to go help the victims of the tornado in Huntsville.  She will be doing client casework while there.  If the media would like to set up an interview with her please call Elizabeth Saunders at (251) 436-7909 or (251) 259-2480.  The American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter is also recruiting other local Red Cross volunteers to be deployed to Huntsville.  The two volunteers that were scheduled to be deployed to Huntsville this morning were unable to go due to personal circumstances.

On April 24th, a strong thunderstorm with tornado activity entered the state of Alabama and impacted several counties and cities across the state including Cullman, Jefferson, Blount, Marshall, DeKalb, Walker and Madison Counties. The damage occurred mainly in the northern part of the state.

The Red Cross chapters in the affected areas immediately opened shelters for the victims of the storms and began feeding them.  Two shelters remain open as of today.  The ongoing Red Cross response includes client services and feeding.

Client casework will be provided, this is where our trained volunteers meet with families that have been affected and determine and provide for their immediate emergency needs of food, clothing, and shelter.  The Red Cross is also providing Mental Health Services and Health Services to help with prescriptions and referrals to doctors.

Since the area affected is relatively rural, mobile feeding through the Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) will be the primary method.  Feeding will also be provided at the shelters for the residents.  To date the Red Cross chapters in north Alabama have served over 3,000 meals and almost 2,000 snacks to the affected clients.

You can help people affected by disasters like the recent tornadoes 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 provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those affected by all disasters. Please make a donation by visiting www.redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS 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. 

For more information about services and programs offered by the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross please contact (251) 438-2571 or visit www.redcrossalcoast.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 American Red Cross 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 Agency. Verizon Wireless is the official wireless provider for the American Red Cross Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter. For more information please visit www.redcrossalcoast.org.