Red Cross Prepares to Help People in Path of Typhoon, Hurricanes

Monday, September 10, 2018 — Several powerful storms – Typhoon Mangkhut and Hurricanes Olivia and Florence - are impacting hundreds of thousands of people across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The American Red Cross is prepared to respond over 9,000 miles of land and sea through the next several days to help those in the path of these storms.

Typhoon Mangkhut is hitting Guam today, a U.S. territory in the western Pacific with winds as high as 139 mph lasting several days. Shelters on Guam are run by the government and military. The Red Cross has deployed a disaster leadership team, satellite communications equipment and other resources to Guam and will assist with damage assessment after the storm passes.

Hurricane Olivia is expected to cross over Hawaii Tuesday and Wednesday and watches are in effect for Oahu, Maui and Hawaii counties. Olivia is predicted to bring strong winds and as much as 20 inches of rain to parts of the state. The Red Cross is preparing a large response effort and urges people in the path of the storm to get ready now.

Hurricane Florence is an extremely dangerous storm and on track to strike the coast of South Carolina or North Carolina beginning Wednesday. States of emergency have been declared in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Even after making landfall, Florence could bring heavy rain all the way to New England.

The Red Cross is preparing to respond and urges anyone in the path of this hurricane to get ready too. Red Cross disaster workers are standing by and relief supplies and equipment are being moved into the region. The Red Cross is also working in close collaboration with government officials and community partners to coordinate potential response efforts.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF FACING THESE STORMS

People in the path of these storms should stay informed and take steps to get prepared now. Listen to local radio, NOAA radio or TV stations for the latest information and updates and obey any evacuation orders from local officials.

The Red Cross urges these three steps:

1. Build a disaster kit that contains supplies for about three days, to include a gallon of water per person per day, non-perishable food, a flashlight and extra batteries, a first aid kit, medications and copies of important documents. Other recommended items are available at redcross.org/kit. Remember items for young children such as diapers, and family members with special medical needs.
2. Come up with an emergency plan.
3. Be informed about how local authorities will notify you, whether through local media or NOAA Weather Radio stations or channels.

You should also download the free Red Cross Emergency App to have real time information about the storm, shelter locations and hurricane safety tips at your fingertips. The Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Red Cross works 24/7 to be ready to respond to disasters such as hurricanes. Please donate to the Red Cross now to help. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

PLEASE GIVE BLOOD

The Red Cross has pre-positioned additional blood products and stocked many of our hospitals to capacity in areas of the Southeast likely to be impacted by the storm over the upcoming days. Ahead of the storm, Red Cross Blood Services employees are also preparing facilities and equipment in case of power outages by ensuring back-up generators are working properly and vehicles are fueled.

We encourage eligible donors in parts of the country unaffected by the storm to give blood or platelets to help ensure a sufficient blood supply. Some Red Cross blood drives have already been cancelled and additional cancellations are expected in the Southeast in the days ahead. Platelet and type O blood donations are especially needed right now. Appointments can be made by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

ADGP $1 Million members are: Adelson Family Foundation; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Brown & Brown Insurance; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; ConocoPhillips; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; New Balance Foundation and New Balance Athletics; PepsiCo Foundation; State Farm; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Walt Disney Company.

ADGP $500,000 members are: 21st Century Fox; Altria Group; AmazonSmile; American Express; Aon; Capital One; CBS Corporation; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; General Motors; Humble Bundle; IBM Corporation; International Paper; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; LabCorp; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; PwC; Southwest Airlines; Target; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; and Wells Fargo.

Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; AdvoCare International L.P.; Alliance Data; Assurant; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; AXA Equitable Life; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; BMW of North America; Boise Paper; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cox Automotive; DICK’S Sporting Goods; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Farmers Insurance; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; HSBC Bank; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Land O’Lakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Foundation; Raytheon Company; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder; SC Johnson; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Standard Textile; Stearns Bank; Toyota; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; U.S. Bank; and Visa.