Red Cross Volunteers Bring Relief to Residents after Derecho
Volunteers respond to 20 fires in the past week
Volunteers respond to 20 fires in the past week
On Monday, August 10, a derecho tore through our region, causing strong winds and 15 confirmed tornadoes. Nearly 80 Red Cross volunteers with the Illinois Red Cross have worked around the clock to assist those impacted. The Red Cross has provided temporary emergency lodging to nearly 350 people and distributed over 1,000 meals in the last week.
Our volunteers have also provided health and mental health services to those who need it, as well as information about recovery.
Also, Red Cross volunteers have been out doing damage assessment in Harvey, Lombard and Rogers Park. The Red Cross distributed 100 coolers for residents in Harvey and helped with food distribution over the weekend.
The Red Cross will continue to work with communities, affected across our region, as residents figure out next steps in their recovery process.
Disaster Clean Up
Cleaning up after a disaster can mean facing a wide range of hazards, from contaminated water, to animals and insects, to splintered wood and sagging ceilings. At minimum, everyone who helps you with clean up and repair should wear:
You may also want to invest in:
Additional information and resources are available on our website and in the free Red Cross Emergency app which is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to reddcross.org/apps.
HOW YOU CAN HELP - Help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises by making a gift to 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 800-RED-CROSS or text the word DISASTER to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Volunteers Respond to 20 Fires in the Past Week
In addition to assisting residents impacted by Monday storm, volunteers with the Red Cross were busy responding to 20 fires across Chicagoland from August 10 until today, including Aurora, Braidwood, Ford Heights, South Holland and more, with eight of these incidents occurring in Chicago.
The Red Cross helped 100 residents including 54 adults and 46 children impacted with a temporary place to stay, health and disaster mental health services and information about recovery resources.
Since this coronavirus pandemic, Red Cross volunteers have been responding virtually to fires whenever possible. If you need assistance, please call our dispatch line: 1-877-597-0747. In Chicagoland, the Red Cross responds to 3 to 4 home fires every day. 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.
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, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cook, Coles, 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.