Contact: Jim Burns
831-332-8719 | jim.burns@redcross.org
24-hour Toll-Free Media Hotline:
669-209-5266 | NCCRpublicaffairs@redcross.org
The Central Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross, supported by volunteers and employees from throughout this Red Cross region continues today to support our county and emergency partners with around-the-clock staffing of emergency evacuation centers established locally in advance of this week's threatening storm.
As of 10 a.m. today (Thursday, January 28), Red Cross teams were continuing to support two Temporary Evacuation Points (TEPs) that Monterey County had opened earlier this week for residents from areas where there are mandatory evacuations in that county. Those TEPs are located at:
Before Santa Cruz County closed their TEPs yesterday, Red Cross teams had also been supporting three similar evacuation points in that county, established earlier in the week for residents similarly affected by evacuation orders. Those TEPs had been operational at the following locations:
Red Cross responders, who totaled 81 as of this morning, were also helping with evacuees' sheltering (see more detail, below) and food needs (Red Cross teams have provided a total of 865 meals and snacks to those displaced).
Sheltering evacuees who are unable to secure accommodations:
Because the pandemic has made establishing traditional "congregate" shelters more difficult, the American Red Cross has been working with our county and hotel partners to ensure that those under mandatory evacuation orders have safe sheltering options. Evacuees who are in need of shelter should check in at a Temporary Evacuation Point (TEP) so that their county can verify that they reside in a mandatory evacuation zone. Once that determination is made, the Red Cross has been working with these residents to try to secure accommodations in one of our partner hotels in the Central Coast area.
As we receive official word of any status changes to our response, we will post that information on this regional Red Cross blog site.
If you have questions about the support the local Red Cross chapter is providing during this emergency, please email Jim Burns or call him at 831-332-8719. Thank you!
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Please prepare for emergencies before they happen: For tips and other information about a range of emergency situations, please visit redcross.org/gethelp to learn more.
About American Red Cross of the Central Coast: With offices in Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, visit our web site at redcross.org/centralcoast or call us at 831-624-6921. You may also find us on Facebook and Twitter.