Find Shelter and Supplies
If you are in need of a shelter during a disaster, please contact your local Red Cross chapter.
The most visible and well-known of Red Cross disaster relief activities are sheltering and feeding. The Red Cross opens shelters for those displaced by a disaster and provides meals and snacks to families and to emergency workers in affected areas.
After a disaster trained Red Cross interviewers meet one on one with families to determine their needs. The assistance may include providing the means for them to pay for groceries, new clothes, rent, emergency home repairs, transportation, medicines, and tools. The Red Cross also lets people know about other community or government resources available to them and helps those needing long-term recovery assistance when other resources are inadequate.
Red Cross nurses deliver first aid and attend to other health-related matters. The Red Cross may help pay for certain medical needs, including prescription medicines, medical supplies, and emergency medical treatment. The Red Cross also provides blood and blood products.
Disaster Mental Health Services workers are licensed mental health practitioners trained to recognize the emotional impact of a disaster on those affected by the disaster as well as disaster workers. They offer information and help educate people on the emotional impacts of disasters and how to cope with them.
If a loved one is in the affected area, family members from outside the area can call their local chapter and request assistance in determining the well-being of their family member.
List yourself as Safe and Well
If you have been affected by a disaster, this website provides a way for you to register yourself as "safe and well." From a list of standard messages, you can select those that you want to communicate to your family members, letting them know of your well-being.
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