Flood Victims Still Need Help | American Red Cross

As much of the country looks forward to Easter weekend, thousands of people in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi are still trying to recover from the widespread flooding in those states.

The American Red Cross is there, supporting those affected. Hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers continue to offer help and hope in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi where so many people have lost everything to devastating floods.

HOW TO HELP Entire families have lost their homes and everything they own in this flooding. We need your continued support now to help people affected by disasters big and small. Those who would like to help people affected by disasters like flooding and countless other crises can make a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. People can donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

The Red Cross estimates that we will spend between $4 million and $7 million helping people affected by spring floods and storms across Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee – and we need your support now.

This is an evolving disaster and while our relief operations are ongoing, it’s not easy to project the exact cost of our future services. It’s important to remember that these figures are preliminary estimates that are likely to change. For instance, Red Cross expenses could change if additional flooding occurs or additional homes are found to be damaged.

This estimate includes the costs of providing food, shelter, blankets, cots, emotional support, health services, initial casework, relief supplies and sometimes longer-term recovery efforts. It also includes the costs that make relief possible, including logistics, staff and technology expenses.

RED CROSS RESPONSE

The Red Cross continues to operate shelters and provide meals for those affected. Tuesday night more than 275 people sought help in 16 Red Cross and community shelters in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.

Red Cross disaster mental health workers are helping people cope in the aftermath of many challenging situations. Disaster health volunteers are also helping to replace needed items like prescription medications and eyeglasses. In some areas, multi-agency resource centers are available where representatives of various local agencies can assist impacted residents in the coming days with information, basic needs and referrals to programs and services.

Red Cross caseworkers are meeting one-on-one with people to create recovery plans, navigate paperwork and locate help from other agencies. In some situations, the Red Cross may provide direct financial support to people who need extra help.

Since the flooding began, more than 1,500 Red Cross workers working alongside partners have provided 4,000 overnight stays in 60 shelters; served 170,000 meals and snacks; distributed 70,000 relief items including comfort kits and cleaning supplies; and provided 4,800 health and mental health consultations.

In Texas, as many as 6 people took refuge in 8 shelters Tuesday night. In Mississippi, 16 people spent Tuesday night in 2 Red Cross shelters. In Louisiana, there were 6 Red Cross and community shelters open with almost 200 residents taking refuge in them Tuesday night.