Volunteer disaster responders with the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois responded to 18 fires from Monday, December 23 through today in the Chicago & Northern Illinois area including fires in Rockford, Evanston, Lombard, Zion, Plainfield and more, with twelve of these fires occurring in Chicago.
Our volunteers helped 118 individuals, including 75 adults and 43 children. The Red Cross provided assistance with temporary housing, food, clothing and comfort kits with toiletry items, information about n mental health services.
The American Red Cross responds to 3 to 4 home fires every day in Chicago and Northern Illinois. The Red Cross recommends two easy steps to help protect your home and loved ones from a fire: get a smoke alarm and create a fire escape plan.
The Red Cross installs FREE smoke alarms year-round. To schedule an appointment to get a free installation in your home, visit www.getasmokealarm.org.
In addition, the American Red Cross wants to make sure that everyone enjoys the holidays safely and has a happy New Year’s celebration. With the New Year just around the corner, the American Red Cross encourages people to consider making a life-saving resolution for 2020 to help save a life by giving blood. Visit www.redcrossblood.org to find an upcoming drive near you.
You can also 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. Call, click, or text to give: visit redcross.org, call 1-800 RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. To donate by check or to a specific cause, please complete this donation form by printing and mailing to your local Red Cross chapter.
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 @ChicagoRedCross.