Hurricane Laura is bringing life-threatening and devastating damage to the Gulf Coast and areas far inland. The American Red Cross is supporting local officials and community response plans, which are focused on providing shelter, food and comfort to those in need.
Brian McDaniel, executive director of the Illinois River Valley chapter of the Red Cross, is deploying to Baton Rouge, Louisiana this Friday, August 28 to assist with food distribution to residents, as part of the Red Cross temporary emergency lodging program.
Five volunteers from the Illinois region are among 800 trained disaster workers mobilized by the Red Cross to help people affected by Hurricane Laura in Texas and Louisiana. Volunteers are providing assistance both on the ground and virtually.
Responding to disasters is a team effort and no single organization can do it alone — particularly in this current environment. To this end, we are coordinating closely with multiple community partners and emergency officials to be ready to provide aid.
Interview Opportunity: Brian McDaniel is available for interviews today. Please contact Isis Chaverri, 312-533-5052 to coordinate.
HOW TO HELP: You can help people affected by disasters, like storms and countless other crises, by making a gift to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
About the American Red Cross of Illinois:
The American Red Cross of Illinois serves 12.4 million people in 88 counties in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri including Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cook, Coles, Christian, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, De Witt, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Green, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jasper, Jefferson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Putnam, Richland, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, Shelby, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermillion, Warren, Washington, Whiteside, Will, Williamson Winnebago, Woodford. Iowa: Lee, Muscatine, Scott and Van Buren. Missouri: Clark, Lewis, Marion and Ralls. 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, please visit us at Redcross.org/Illinois or visit us on Twitter @RedCrossIL.