Volunteer disaster responders with the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois responded to 26 fires from Monday, December 30 through today in the Chicago & Northern Illinois area in Aurora, Chicago, Evanston, Joliet, New Lenox, including two fire in Freeport and Maywood that sadly resulted in the loss of lives.
Our volunteers helped 130 individuals, including 27 families that were displaced by a fire this past Saturday in a four-story apartment building in the 140 block of N. Mason Avenue in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. The Red Cross provided assistance to 99 adults and 31 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.
In addition, the American Red Cross currently has a critical need for blood donors of all blood types - specially type O – and platelet donors to make an appointment now to give and help replenish the blood supply. Donors are urged to make an appointment to give now using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Eco device.
Also, many Australian residents are facing uncertainty and heartache due to the bushfires that have been burning since September 2019 in various parts of the country. In the midst of the devastation and loss, the Australian American Red Cross is delivering basics like food and water, arranging emergency accommodation, and helping locate missing loved ones by registering and tracing people reported missing.
The American Red Cross is coordinating with the Australian Red Cross to see if international assistance is necessary. To find out how to help those affected or to learn more about the response, visit the Australian Red Cross Page.
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.