This weekend, record-setting Hurricane Delta brought heavy winds and flooding to the South. The storm hit the same area that was devastated by Hurricane Laura six weeks ago. The storm knocked out power lines and left hundreds without electricity in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Hurricane Delta is just one of many disasters that is impacting communities across the country. More than 800 Red Cross disaster workers, including 53 volunteers from the Illinois region, are helping those displaced by these disasters, including Hurricane Laura and the wildfires out West.
Our work, which is just beginning, is focused on making sure people have a safe place to stay, food to eat, emotional support and other critical assistance. Volunteers are also providing individual care contacts to help people with medical or disability needs, as well as providing emotional and spiritual support during these challenging times. This includes replacing prescription medications, eyeglasses or other medical equipment.
Access Hurricane Delta B-Roll Here.
Red Cross Volunteers Respond to 17 Home Fires in Chicagoland in the Past Week
Volunteers with the Disaster Action Team responded to 17 home fires from October 5 until today in Chicagoland, including incidents in Aurora, Carpentersville, Fox Lake and more, with nine of this home fires taking place in Chicago.
The Red Cross assisted 88 individuals, including 64 adults and 24 children with a temporary place to stay, health and mental health services and information about recovery services. This includes 30 residents who were displaced by a fire at a multi-unit apartment building in Crest Hill, Illinois last Monday.
If you need assistance after a local house fire or disaster, 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. You can also find out more information about home fire safety by visiting, redcross.org/fire.
Every year, the Red Cross responds to an average of more than 60,000 disasters, the vast majority of which are home fires. You can help people affected by disasters big and small:
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.