Red Cross Assistance Program Relaunched for Harvey Victims

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As caregivers to four children under the age of 10, grandmother, Stephanie, and aunt, Claudette, knew they needed to make the safest decision possible for family and that decision was coming to a Red Cross shelter. They are life-long Texas residents, but weren’t leaving anything to chance with Hurricane Harvey. “I’m glad we came here… to keep the kids safe.” shared Claudette

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Damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.

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Red Cross Volunteer and Staff Advocate, Donna Wood, kicks off the evening staff brief at District 1 Headquarters in Houston, Texas.

September 20, 2017

Update: Hurricane Harvey Immediate Assistance Program

Registration for the Hurricane Harvey Immediate Assistance Program ended as of 11:59 pm CT on October 10. If you have already applied, please log in at portal.disasterverification.com to reset your password or review your profile.

Please know, that although this program has assisted more than 477,000 households, we realize that significant needs still exist within the community. Over the coming weeks, the Red Cross will be sharing additional details regarding our long-term recovery program.

If you have additional questions, visit our FAQs.

As we continue to provide food, shelter and comfort for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, the American Red Cross is delivering financial assistance to people who need it most. This assistance will allow people to make their own decisions about meeting their immediate needs. This financial support is on top of the other services the Red Cross continues to provide, including shelter, cleaning supplies, food, health and mental health support, and spiritual care.

The Red Cross is prepared to provide financial assistance to hundreds of thousands of households. In fact, the organization has already approved $45 million in financial assistance to more than 100,000 qualified households who needed immediate help - more than 365,000 people including more than 10,000 military households. Spending these funds locally will also support Texas communities as they begin recovering from the enormous economic losses inflicted by Harvey.

For this assistance, the Red Cross has a single website where qualified households from 39 Texas counties* that were severely impacted by Harvey can apply. Qualified applicants will be eligible for $400 per household to support emergency needs. Assistance will be made available using several methods, including Zelle (electronic funds transfer to participating banks), MoneyGram, Walmart or PayPal. Registration will remain open through October 10.

The Red Cross is a charity, not a government agency, and people do not need to be American citizens to receive our assistance. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to fraud and will aggressively pursue fraudulent activities. If you are aware of fraud, please contact your local law enforcement or the Red Cross at disasterfraud@redcross.org or through our toll-free Concern Connection Line at 1-888-309-9679.

*Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzalez, Hardin, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Karnes, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Polk, Refugio, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller and Wharton

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.