The American Red Cross is opening five shelters in advance of Hurricane Henri, which is expected to make landfall on Sunday.

The shelters will open at 8 p.m. tonight, Saturday, August 21 and are available to individuals and families who need assistance. There are also shelters in Plainville and Norwalk that will open tomorrow, Sunday, August 22. The Red Cross is working in coordination with local officials and emergency management.

The Red Cross has also pre-positioned shelter and relief supplies in advance of the storm and has volunteers ready to help people in need. We are working with community partners and emergency responders to be ready to provide aid after Henri passes if needed.

Shelters in Connecticut will open August 21 at 8 p.m. at the following locations:

• Bridgeport - Geraldine Johnson High School, 475 Lexington Avenue, Bridgeport
• Groton - Fitch High School, 101 Groton Long Point Road, Groton
• New Haven - Hill Regional Career High School, 140 Legion Avenue, New Haven
• New London - Winthrop STEM Elementary Magnet School, 74 Grove Street, New London
• Niantic - East Lyme Middle School, 31 Society Road, Niantic
• North Branford - North Branford Intermediate School, 654 Foxon Road, North Branford
• Norwich - Kelly Middle School, 25 Mahan Drive, Norwich
• Stonington - Stonington High School, 176 South Broad Street, Pawcatuck

Shelters in Connecticut will open August 22 at the following locations:

6 a.m.

• Norwalk - Brien McMahon High School, 300 Highland Avenue, Norwalk

9 a.m.

• Plainville - Plainville High School, 47 Robert Holcomb Way, Plainville

Individuals evacuating to a Red Cross shelter should bring essential items for each member of their family, including:

• Prescription and emergency medications
• Foods that meet special dietary requirements
• Extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies and other comfort items
• Chargers for any electronic devices
• Books, games and other forms of entertainment

Ensuring people have a safe place to stay during a disaster is a critical part of the Red Cross mission. To help keep our workforce and the people we serve safe, we are requiring face masks regardless of vaccination status. In addition, we’re also using health screenings, enhanced cleaning procedures and encouraging social distancing as much as possible.

Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need, and all disaster assistance is free.

Anyone who needs a safe place to go can find information for open Red Cross shelters on redcross.org, 1-800-733-2767, or the free Red Cross Emergency app. Download the app by searching “American Red Cross” in your app store or by going to redcross.org/apps. You can also check with local officials and monitor local news for information on where to find emergency shelter.