For more than two months, severe weather outbreaks swept across the country, ravaging communities and upending lives. Now millions of people face excessive heat warnings as temperatures soar to dangerous highs out West.

RED CROSS RESPONSE The American Red Cross is monitoring the heat wave while continuing to help people impacted by the severe weather get back on their feet. Hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers and our partners are making sure people have a safe place to stay, food, relief supplies and emotional and spiritual support.

Since the severe weather began in March, preliminary reports indicate that across the country, more than 4,600 homes are either destroyed or have received major damage. More than 2,300 Red Crossers and our partners have provided:

• More than 6,500 overnight stays in 72 Red Cross and community shelters
• Nearly 225,400 meals and snacks
• Over 112,000 relief supplies
• Nearly 6,700 people with recovery support, including financial assistance and help replacing eyeglasses and prescriptions

YOU CAN HELP People are struggling now and you can help by donating time, money or blood at redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).

Support Red Cross Disaster Relief and help people affected by disasters like flooding and countless other crises by making a financial donation today. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. For those interested in helping people specifically affected by the recent severe weather, we ask that they write “Spring Storms and Floods” in the memo line of a check and mail it with a completed donation form to the address on the form or to their local Red Cross chapter.

Put on a red vest and join us as a volunteer today to provide relief and hope when it matters most. Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to sign up for opportunities with your local chapter.

CLIMATE CRISIS These massive disasters are happening more and more as a result of the worsening climate crisis. In the last decade, the number of billion-dollar disasters has increased by 85%. And, the Red Cross is now launching twice as many relief operations for major disasters than we did a decade ago.

HOME FIRE RESPONSE Red Cross volunteers responded to 5 home fires in Centralia, Olney, Sesser and Decatur which impacted 13 people including 3 children. Red Cross volunteers provided assistance by supplying them with basic items to meet immediate needs after a fire, and additional support in the form of a safe place to stay, health and mental health services and one-on-one support.

If you or someone you know needs assistance after a home fire or local disaster, please call 1-800 Red Cross.

About the American Red Cross:
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 redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.