Volunteer disaster responders with the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois responded to 22 fires from Monday, February 3 through today in the Chicago & Northern Illinois area in Bradley, Des Plaines, Round Lake, Sycamore and more, with 14 of these fires occurring in Chicago including two house fires on the 600 block of N. Leclaire Ave. and 4700 block of W. 12th Pl. that sadly resulted in the loss of lives.
Our volunteers helped 82 individuals, including 63 adults and 19 children with temporary housing, food, clothing and comfort kits with toiletry items, information about recovery services and health and 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. Find more information about home fire safety here: English/Spanish.
Give Blood to Give Time
Today, the American Red Cross and the American Society announced their Give Blood to Give Time partnership to raise awareness on how blood donations help patients fighting cancer.
Chemotherapy and radiation, used to treat cancer, can damage the body’s ability to generate healthy blood cells and cause potentially life-threatening conditions. Blood transfusions from generous donors help provide patients with critical clotting factors, protein and antibodies needed to help their bodies fight back. To schedule a blood donation appointment or make a financial gift, visit GiveBloodGiveTime.org.
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.