Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall today into Thursday as a Category Three hurricane, with heavy rain, strong winds and a dangerous storm surge along the Texas and Louisiana coasts. The American Red Cross has pre-positioned relief supplies and more than 700 trained disaster workers are standing by to provide emergency shelter and support to those in need.
Two local volunteers from the Illinois region are among the hundreds of volunteers deploying to help with the response to Hurricane Laura.
Jon Dues has already deployed to Houston, Texas, while Anne Fleming will leave this Thursday, August 27, to assist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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: Anne Fleming is available for virtual interviews today. Please contact Hannah Allton, 312-533-8366, if interested.
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.