Volunteers with the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team responded to five home fires and assisted 18 people in Belvidere, Sterling, South Beloit and Rockford this past week.

The Red Cross provided emergency financial assistance, food, relief items like toiletries, health and mental health services, and one-on-one support to connect people to available recovery assistance. So far this year, local Red Cross volunteers have helped hundreds of people affected by home fires in our community.

A fire can take a home in as little as two minutes. Therefore, escaping in less than two minutes can be the difference between survival and tragedy. The American Red Cross encourages everyone to talk to their children about fire safety to help families stay safe and prepared.

Red Cross Response Update

To help storm-impacted communities, over 1,270 trained Red Cross responders have worked alongside our partners 24/7 to provide safe shelter, nutritious meals and emergency supplies across an area stretching from Texas to Ohio.

The Red Cross has provided over 1,500 overnight stays in 47 shelters across seven states, along with more than 71,000 meals and snacks, and 38,000 relief items to nearly 9,000 impacted households. In shelters, trained Red Cross volunteers are helping families cope and replace prescription medications, eyeglasses or critical medical equipment like canes and wheelchairs.

Across the Illinois region, Red Cross volunteers are helping assess the residential damage in affected communities. This information will help us to provide better support in the coming days and weeks. Currently, Red Cross emergency response vehicles are out in affected communities, delivering meals and relief supplies where it is safe to do so. More supplies and volunteers stand ready if needed.

If you need assistance after this or any disaster, including a home fire please call 1-800 Red Cross.

How You Can Help
People need urgent assistance now. Help people affected by disasters like floods, storms and countless other crises with a Red Cross Disaster Relief donation by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

About the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.

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