Volunteer disaster responders with the American Red Cross serving South Central Illinois helped 11 people affected by fires and storms from July 14 to today. Our volunteers assisted families affected by these incidents in Beecher City, Decatur, Salem and Springfield.

In this past week, the Red Cross helped a total of nine adults and two children with temporary housing, health and mental health services and information about recovery services.  

Since this coronavirus pandemic, Red Cross volunteers have been responding virtually to disasters whenever possible. If you need assistance, please call our dispatch line: 1-877-597-0747. You can take two easy steps to protect your home and loved ones from a fire: get a smoke alarm and create a fire escape plan. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the risk of dying in a home fire in half. 

WATER SAFETY

Many public pools and beaches may be closed. Follow the guidance of state and local officials. Make sure the area is designated for swimming. Once there, maintain social distancing, both in and out of the water, between you and people who don’t live with you. If you don’t think your child can do this, come up with another activity.

• Wear face coverings on land, but not in the water as it may be difficult to breathe.
• Don’t share goggles, nose clips, snorkels or other personal items.
• An inflatable pool can be a great way to have fun, but be sure to provide constant supervision to children in and around the water.
• Take the new Red Cross free Water Safety for Parents and Caregivers online course which focuses on the risks of drowning and how to minimize those risks, especially for young children.

We also encourage you to download our Swim App and visit our new Water Safety for Kids site (redcross.org/watersafetyforkids) for videos, activities and quizzes.
 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES The Red Cross has several resources to help you prevent and respond to summer emergencies.

• Learn how to save a life with the Red Cross First Aid App and training courses (redcross.org/takeaclass).

• Receive customized weather alerts and warnings with our Emergency App.

• Enable the Red Cross skills on Amazon Alexa-enabled devices for valuable first aid information, to schedule a blood donation, receive warnings about an approaching hurricane or make a financial donation to the Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/mobile-apps/alexa-skills.html).
   

HELP SAVE LIVES THIS SUMMER Give blood, platelets or plasma—we’re all in this together! Visit redcrossblood.org for more information or to schedule your 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 @IllinoisRedCross.