Cristobal Moves North – Could Cause Flooding

Cristobal is now a tropical depression moving away from the Gulf Coast and heading north. The winds from the storm have died down but Cristobal may strengthen later this week. The American Red Cross is prepared to respond as this storm brings power outages and flooding across not only the gulf states of Louisiana and Mississippi, but also further up into Arkansas and the midwest states.

Heavy rain could lead to flooding, especially along the Mississippi River where Cristobal could produce anywhere from two to 15 inches of rain. Isolated tornadoes are also possible.

GET READY FOR FLOODING

As Cristobal moves north away from the coast, people in the path of this storm should be prepared to evacuate and leave the area if local officials tell you to do so. Don’t return home until officials say it is safe. Stay informed - tune into your local radio, NOAA radio or news channels for the latest updates. Flooding may occur, and people can follow these safety steps:

Right Before a Flood

• Listen to local area radio, NOAA radio or TV stations for the latest information and updates.
• Be prepared to evacuate quickly if directed and know your routes and destinations. If someone needs to find a shelter they can download the free Red Cross Emergency app or visit redcross.org/shelter.

During a Flood

• Move immediately to higher ground or stay on high ground. Evacuate if directed. Avoid walking or driving through flood waters.
• Avoid contact with floodwater. It may be contaminated with sewage.
• Avoid already flooded areas and areas that are subject to sudden flooding such as dips, low spots, canyons, washes etc. Stay away from rivers, streams, creeks and storm drains.
• Do not attempt to cross flowing streams or water covered roads.
• If caught in a flash flood, try to get to higher ground and stay there. Just six inches of fast-flowing water can knock you over and two feet will float a car.
• Turn around and find another route if you come upon floodwater, rapidly rising water or barricades.
• Don’t allow children to play in or near flood water. It may be contaminated with sewage.

After a Flood

• If evacuated, return only when authorities say it is safe to do so.
• Continue listening to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio for updated information and instructions.
• Keep children and pets away from hazardous sites and floodwater.
• Do not use water that could be contaminated to wash dishes, brush teeth, prepare food, wash hands, make ice or make baby formula.
• Watch pets closely and keep them under your direct control.
• Beware of snakes, insects and other animals that may be in or around your home.
• If power lines are down outside your home, do not step in puddles or standing water. Report downed lines to the power company.

Full flooding safety information is available here.

CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS 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: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; The Home Depot Foundation; Latter-day Saint Charities; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; UPS; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; and Wells Fargo.

ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; Aon; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative; Ford Motor Company; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Grainger; HCA Healthcare; Humble Bundle; IBM Corporation; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; LHC Group; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Progressive Insurance; PwC Charitable Foundation; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Sands Cares; Southwest Airlines; The Starbucks Foundation; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; The USAA Foundation, Inc.; Visa Foundation; and The Wawa Foundation.

Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; American Express; Assurant; AstraZeneca; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; BMW of North America; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Company; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Consumer Cellular; Cox Enterprises; CSX; DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dominion Energy; Duke Energy; Duke Realty; Equitable; Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Lenovo; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Mastercard; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; The Pfizer Foundation; Procter & Gamble; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Technologies; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; Trane Technologies; U-Haul International; and U.S. Bank Foundation.