Media Contact: Sherry Nicholson
ATLANTA, GA, OCTOBER 11, 2020 — Georgians felt the bite of Tropical Storm Delta Saturday night as the former hurricane, which devastated Louisiana and Mississippi on Friday, made a growling northeasterly exit through several states and continues into the Carolinas. An evening of tornado and flash flood warnings accompanied by strong winds, torrential rainfall, falling trees, and power outages revealed pockets of damage to homes around the state today, particularly in the greater Atlanta and Northeast Georgia areas.
Georgia Relief Efforts
Teams of Georgia disaster volunteers began assessing the storm’s impact and the immediate emergency needs of families at first light today. Outreach is still underway and, so far, nearly 50 affected families (150 people) have turned to the Red Cross for help with essentials such as temporary lodging, food, and health and emotional support. As part of this effort, the Red Cross is also working closely with emergency partners in hard-hit Newton County to identify unmet needs and tailor assistance that follows pandemic safety guidelines for about two dozen residents of a community shelter damaged by the storm.
Louisiana and Mississippi Relief Efforts
Meanwhile, other trained Georgia disaster workers are among the more than 820 supporting shelters and emergency relief efforts either on the ground or virtually in Louisiana and Mississippi, where the full impact of Hurricane Delta inundated homes in the same area where Hurricane Laura devastated the region only six weeks ago. Our work, which is just beginning, is focused on making sure people have a safe place to stay, food to eat, emotional support, and other critical assistance.
During this current, record-breaking disaster season, people are depending on the Red Cross now, more than ever. You can help by making a donation or becoming a volunteer today.
You can help people affected by Hurricane Delta by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS, or texting the word DELTA to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from this disaster. This includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, and other assistance.
If you have the time, you can make a significant impact as a Red Cross volunteer. Review our most urgently needed volunteer positions at redcross.org/volunteertoday.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds, and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% 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, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.