(CHICAGO, IL) July 26 2017 — Nearly two weeks after torrential rains blanketed northern Illinois and flooded hundreds of residents’ homes, the American Red Cross continues to provide help to hundreds of people affected by severe flooding and power outages in northern Illinois counties including Cook, Lake, Kane, McHenry and Stephenson.
As waters slowly recede and clean-up continues, the Red Cross, in collaboration with McHenry County and the Salvation Army, will open a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) in McHenry County to provide much-needed supplies to affected residents.
Experiencing a home flood can be an extremely stressful situation. We encourage people to come to the MARC for help establishing an individualized, long-term recovery plan with a trained case worker, to get free clean-up supplies specific to flood needs (bleach, mops, etc.), and to access possible financial assistance. Resources will be available from 20+ government agencies and community/faith-based organizations, including but not limited to the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Church Charities, McHenry County Mental Health Board, McHenry County Housing Authority, Northern Illinois Food Bank, Northern Illinois United Methodist Church, St. Vincent DePaul, Samaritans Purse, the Salvation Army, Senior Services Associates of McHenry, Team Rubicon, and United Church of Christ, etc.
The Red Cross urges people to stay safe. Residents needing assistance can call the Red Cross flood hotline at 847-220-7495.
Download the free Red Cross Flood App: The Red Cross Flood App provides people with real time flood alert warnings and steps deal with flooding before, during and after an event. Users can enter location information of loved ones across the country to monitor the flooding situation in any area.
Download the free Red Cross Emergency App: The Red Cross Emergency App provides people with instant access to emergency alerts and life-saving information. Available for smart phones and tablets, it includes content on what to do before, during and after a variety of severe weather events. Users can customize more than 35 emergency weather alerts based on their location and where loved ones live.
HOW TO HELP: The Red Cross depends on financial donations to provide immediate disaster relief. Help people affected by Illinois tornadoes and severe storms by visiting redcross.org or calling 1- 800-RED CROSS. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.
VOLUNTEER FOR THE RED CROSS: Volunteers carry out 90% of the humanitarian work of the Red Cross. Our vital work is only possible because of people like you. Whether helping one displaced family or thousands, providing care and comfort to an ill or injured service member or veteran, or teaching others how to respond in emergencies, it’s through the efforts of ordinary people that we can do extraordinary things. If you are inspired to action, visit http://www.redcross.org/volunteer.
About the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois:
The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties including Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. 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/il/chicago or visit us on Twitter.