
In North Carolina, a group of veterans were displaced when floodwaters destroyed the Veterans Restoration Quarters (VRQ) in East Asheville. The Red Cross has funded grants to community organizations to help provide housing for these displaced veterans.
Programs part of Long-Term Recovery activities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee
The American Red Cross remains on the ground in states impacted by 2024’s Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Through its Long-Term Recovery Program, Red Cross teams are implementing several programs to help and support people affected by the devastation the storms left behind.
Beginning this month, the American Red Cross is providing additional financial assistance for people impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This program was made possible by the generosity of donors from across the country who supported this disaster relief operation.
In just the first 30 minutes, 18 people completed their applications. This speaks to the urgency and need of this community, and also to the Red Cross ability’ to serve them quickly and efficiently.
The timing of this financial assistance seeks to bridge the gap between the response phase and before community recovery programs are in place to provide direct financial assistance to households with ongoing recovery needs whose homes were confirmed to have been destroyed or sustained major damage from the event.
The program is part of a larger suite of Long-Term Recovery activities which began late last year for communities affected by Hurricane Helene and Milton in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
For instance, in North Carolina, a group of veterans were displaced when floodwaters destroyed the Veterans Restoration Quarters (VRQ) in East Asheville. The Red Cross has funded grants to community organizations to help provide housing for these displaced veterans. The Red Cross Long-Term Recovery team and community groups such as the Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) are working together to support intermediate housing for the veterans at a local Quality Inn hotel. Local humanitarian organizations such as Team Rubicon, another local Red Cross partner, also supported the process of cleaning and restoring the veterans' previous home. The VRQ story is featured above.
Christopher, a resident of Hampton, Tennessee, applied for financial assistance after being affected by Hurricane Helene. It was not his first time being helped by the Red Cross. “I experienced a house fire and y’all helped me, but I never experienced a flood. I was in the water, holding onto my place for 4.5 hours until they could get me. Us Tennesseans don’t expect tropical storms or hurricanes... nothing this traumatic. I’m grateful to the Red Cross and when I got this email today, I almost cried because I mean… I’m still thinking about it. Red Cross are the people to go to if you need help.”
This program will continue helping people like Christopher in the weeks to come as it rolls out in all five states included in the Helene and Milton Long-Term Recovery Operation ─ North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida.
Cash assistance gives people the dignity and autonomy to identify and meet their own recovery needs. Whether it’s securing temporary housing or buying food for their families, or some other need unique to them, recipients of this assistance are able to take meaningful steps on their road to recovery.
Other Long-Term Recovery Activities
The Red Cross is also supporting affected communities by providing technical expertise to Long-Term Recovery Groups (LTRGs), community-led organizations comprised of local nonprofits, community members, dedicated to helping their community recover in weeks, months, even years to come.
These groups often stay active in communities that are affected over and over by disaster. This enables them to stand up faster when the next disaster strikes, and retain that important institutional knowledge to not have to start from scratch.
The Red Cross has funded grants to community organizations to expedite recovery for rapid repairs to storm-damaged homes. The Red Cross has also launched a request for proposal (RFP) for long-term recovery grants in all five states. The grants focus on individual and household needs, community capacity-building, and community resiliency. Activities may include home repair, food security, mental health programming, legal advocacy, resiliency initiatives and other projects.
A Holistic, Community-Based Approach
This work wouldn’t be possible without partners — including those that support the organization with again and again. The Red Cross brings disaster and long-term recovery expertise and funding, and partners bring local knowledge, cultural sensitivity and community connection.
The Red Cross is here for the long haul. Altogether, this constellation of activities — from direct financial assistance to those affected, to LTRG support, to long-term recovery grants — will continue to help the individuals and families recover from the damage and destruction of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and help their communities become more resilient in the weeks, months, and years to come.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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