The flooding from Hurricane Florence is far from over and thousands of American Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground, providing food, shelter, relief supplies and other services.

A total of eight Hawaii volunteers have deployed to North Carolina to help with the Red Cross response.  Four volunteers from Oahu, three from the Big Island, and one from Maui have deployed to provide assistance ranging from recovery casework, sheltering, feeding, mental health service, and health services. 

WHAT THE RED CROSS IS DOING  As Tropical Storm Florence approached the Carolinas, over 20,000 people sought refuge in more than 200 Red Cross and community shelters to escape the storm’s wrath.  As of Wednesday night, more than 1,660 people remained in 30 Red Cross and community shelters. This included approximately 1,460 people in 21 shelters in North Carolina; and more than 200 people in 9 shelters in South Carolina. In total, the Red Cross and other organizations have provided more than 113,200 overnight stays in emergency shelters across the Carolinas. The Red Cross has provided about 92 percent of these stays.

Today, more than 3,500 Red Cross disaster workers—92 percent volunteers—from all over the country are helping to shelter, feed and support people affected. Working with partners, the Red Cross has served more than 890,600 meals and snacks. Volunteers from partner organizations are cooking hot meals at more than 10 kitchens. These meals are being served at shelters or from more than 70 Red Cross food trucks circulating through affected neighborhoods.

Volunteer mental health and health services professionals have provided some 28,100 contacts to provide support and care to evacuees. We’ve also distributed more than 110,700 relief items like diapers and comfort kits that contain deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene items for people forced from their homes. Since September 11, more than 5 million weather alerts have been sent through Red Cross apps to help people make lifesaving decisions.

HOW YOU CAN HELP The Red Cross has launched a massive response to this disaster and depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Florence by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word FLORENCE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.