Hundreds of Red Crossers responding across multiple states as treacherous winter storm crosses the country

Storm shuts down numerous blood drives. Blood supply critically low. Give blood now.

Check here for steps you should take to help you stay safe during the storm

NEWS SUMMARY:

• Hundreds of trained Red Cross disaster workers and our partners are responding from Texas to New England, opening and supporting warming centers/shelters to help people in the path of this dangerous winter storm. Find shelters here.
• The national blood supply remains at critically low levels, the storm putting additional strain on our ability to rebuild the blood supply. The storm has canceled more than 100 blood drives in nearly every state where the Red Cross collects blood ─ more than 3,500 blood and platelet donations have gone uncollected.
• Individuals are urged to give blood now. Visit redcrossblood.org for more information.

The American Red Cross has launched a massive response across multiple states as the powerful winter storm marches across the country.

Millions of people are in the direct path of the heavy snow, catastrophic ice and dangerously cold temperatures poised to affect communities from the South to the Northeast and everywhere in between. The Red Cross is working with national and local partners and local and state officials across the affected regions to coordinate our response.

More than 745 trained Red Cross responders are supporting our efforts with operations up and running from Texas to New England. In some areas, the Red Cross has already received and is supporting active requests for warming centers and shelters in advance of the weather. We are working with partners to support over 125 warming centers/shelters across the impacted states and are prepared to support additional locations as more requests flow in.

Ahead of the storm, the Red Cross prepositioned blood supplies to hospitals in the storm’s path to help ensure patients continue to have access to critical blood when they need it. We also have additional responders, material, trailers, and emergency vehicles on standby should the need arise.

FIND A SHELTER Find shelter locations on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). You can also follow your local Red Cross or emergency officials on social media, sign up for free local government alerts or monitor local news.

All disaster assistance is free. We don’t ask for identification, and you don’t have to stay overnight. We encourage people who plan to stay in a shelter to bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents.

We do everything we can to accommodate service animals and pets comfortably in our shelters. Sometimes, pets may need to be housed in a different location with support from local partners.

BLOOD DONORS NEEDED We continue to experience a critical blood shortage as this severe winter weather further impacts the ability to rebuild the blood supply. Individuals who may be eligible are urged to give blood and platelets now to help ensure lifesaving medical procedures are not delayed.

The recent storm has canceled blood drives in nearly every state where the Red Cross collects blood. As a result, more than 100 blood drives have been canceled, and more than 3,500 blood and platelet donations have gone uncollected due to this storm.

Snow, ice and extreme temperatures can make it tougher to move vital blood products across the Red Cross network, affecting deliveries to hospitals in some locations. With more winter weather possible in the days and weeks ahead, more donors are needed as soon as it is safe for them to travel.

There’s no time to wait. Book an appointment now to give blood by using the Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). (

HOW YOU CAN HELP Help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises with a Red Cross Disaster Relief donation by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, whenever and wherever they occur across the country.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Thanks to the dedicated commitment of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the Red Cross stands ready to act at a moment’s notice. Their forward-thinking generosity keeps us prepared for crises of all kinds, ensuring we can be there wherever and whenever we’re needed most.

Mission Leader Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Bank of America; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Costco Wholesale; Dollar General; Lowe's; State Farm

ADGP Leaders: Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; Chick-fil-A; CMA CGM Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Honda; Lilly Endowment Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Nationwide Foundation; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo Foundation

ADGP Members: ALDI; Altria Group; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Bread Financial; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Edison International Foundation; Elevance Health Foundation; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Philanthropy; Fox Corporation;  GE Aerospace Foundation; General Motors; Google.org; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; ; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Mastercard; Microsoft; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Foundation;  NTT Data; Paul Davis Restoration; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; Southeastern Grocers and the SEG Gives Foundation; Stryker; Suburban Propane; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Wingstop Restaurants; Zoetis Foundation

Disaster Responder Program Members: 3M; 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Aflac; Albemarle Corporation; The Allstate Foundation; American Family Insurance; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco and Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; DENSO North America Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dollar Tree; Duke Energy; Eli Lilly and Company Foundation; Enbridge; Equitable ; Erie Insurance; Farmers Insurance®; Fastenal; Grainger; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; John Deere; Johnson & Johnson Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation ; L’Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo ; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Martin Marietta; Masco Corporation; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Mutual of Omaha Foundation; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Nike Foundation; Norfolk Southern;  Northwestern Mutual;  Novartis US Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; Old Republic International Corporation; Oxy; Pacific Life Foundation; Phillips 66; Prudential; QBE Foundation; Qualcomm; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reynolds American Inc.; RGA Foundation; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Salesforce; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Sunbelt Rentals; T-Mobile; Tennant Company; Toyota Tsusho America, Inc.; Uber; U-Haul International; Uber; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; US Foods; Westlake Corporation; Yum! Brands; Zurich