DETROIT (Aug. 28, 2023) – During National Preparedness Month in September, the American Red Cross Michigan Region urges everyone to prepare for worsening weather-related events. Last week, powerful storms pummeled Michigan with tornadoes, high winds and heavy rain, leaving a path of destruction, flooding communities and freeways, and cutting electricity to thousands.

Severe weather events are part of a worsening national trend. The Red Cross has responded to nearly twice as many large disasters across the country as it did a decade ago.

As these rapidly intensifying events pose serious challenges to its humanitarian work and the people it serves, the Red Cross has announced an ambitious national plan to take urgent action. With more climate-driven disasters upending lives and devastating communities, the organization is racing to adapt its services and grow its disaster response capacity across the country, while also funding new international programs on climate response and preparedness, as well as minimizing its own environmental footprint.

“As the frequency and intensity of weather-related events grow, more people need help more often,” said Mary Lynn Foster, regional chief executive officer for the Red Cross Michigan Region. “Yet, as quickly as our volunteers are working to help, the needs are escalating faster.

“That’s why it’s critical to not only prepare yourself for risks like severe storms and flooding in Michigan, but to also help families in need – both in our region and in other parts of the country. Please join us by becoming a volunteer or making a financial donation to support our disaster relief efforts.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Michigan has experienced 51 weather/climate disaster events between 1980 and Aug. 8, 2023. These include 35 severe storm events, six winter storm events, five drought events, four flooding events and one freeze event. Chief among them:

• June 2023, a wildfire burned 3,600 acres in Northern Michigan, the same month Michigan recorded its fifth driest June on record. The wildfire prompted evacuations and closed a five-mile stretch of I-75. Muskegon had its third driest month in June in 124 years; the city of Hastings, southeast of Grand Rapids, had its driest June in 120 years.
• February 2023, a rare ice and rainstorm caused a massive power outage to roughly 700,000 homes and businesses across the state. Power was out for days.
• May 2022, an EF3 tornado struck the city of Gaylord, destroying homes and businesses. Forty-four people were injured and two people were fatally injured. The National Weather Service declared it a “very rare” event in Northern Michigan.
• June 2021, heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in the city of Detroit and Wayne County.
• May 2020, a historic rainstorm breached two dams, forcing 10,000 people to evacuate in Midland, Gladwin and Saginaw counties.

In the first half of 2023 alone, the United States experienced a record 15 billion-dollar disasters, including deadly tornadoes in the South and Midwest, a powerful typhoon in the U.S. Territory of Guam, a 1-in-100-year flooding in the Northeast, and most recently the deadliest wildfires of the last century in Hawaii.

Historically, the Michigan Region of the Red Cross has been a leader in coordinating volunteer deployments where the need is most, whether it is a local or national disaster. In fiscal year July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013, nearly 300 volunteers were deployed to assist in 12 Red Cross relief operations, including in Grand Rapids where the Grand River reached nearly 100-year flood levels after record rainfall and in Oklahoma after a tornado outbreak.

Between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, 252 volunteers were deployed to assist in 13 Red Cross relief operations, including 95 who provide assistance after Hurricane Ian devastated parts of Florida. Currently, Michigan volunteers are helping in relief efforts in Hawaii, southern California and Pacific Northwest, and in a virtual capacity, all the while their volunteer colleagues are responding to daily home fires and other situations in communities across the state.

“We are blessed to have a resilient team of Michigan volunteers who are dedicated to the mission of preventing and alleviating human suffering in face of emergencies,” Foster said. “Our volunteers have a remarkable spirit of wanting to help others, and often times it’s on the worst day of someone’s life.”

For National Preparedness Month, the Red Cross said taking these three lifesaving actions can help protect you and your family against local emergencies:

Build an emergency kit. The kit should contain food, water, and other basic supplies to last at least three days for each family member. Don’t forget to include essential medications, copies of important documents and special items for children and pets. The Red Cross Emergency app provides weather alerts, safety tips and where to find Red Cross shelter locations in the event of an emergency or disaster. You also can view the content in English or Spanish. Go to redcross.org/apps

Make an emergency plan. Plan what to do in case you are separated from your family during an emergency and what to do if you need to evacuate. Make sure to coordinate your plan with your child’s school, your work and your community’s emergency plans. Be sure to include pets in your emergency plans. The Red Cross Pet First Aid app provides helpful information about how to assemble a pet first-aid kit and care for your pet during an emergency. Go to redcross.org/apps

Stay informed. Find out how local officials will contact you during an emergency and how you will get important information.

“Being prepared for an emergency or a disaster is important for everyone,” said Carnel Richardson, disaster program manager for the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Red Cross based in Detroit. “Now is the time to prepare for these more frequent and intense weather events. These three simple steps can help keep your family safe during an emergency or disaster.”

ADAPTING TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS

As extreme weather disasters increase, more people need help from the Red Cross in the U.S. Nationwide, the organization is taking bold and thoughtful actions to adapt its services and grow its capacity by:

• Enhancing large-scale disaster response services by bolstering the aid provided in emergency shelters and extending casework support to help people with the most recovery needs.
• Expanding financial assistance to help more families with unmet needs and bridge the gap between immediate disaster relief and long-term recovery assistance.
• Strengthening local partner networks in targeted areas that face a high risk of extreme weather and existing societal inequities with a focus on increased access to health and mental health services, nutritious food and safe housing for local families.
• Growing its disaster workforce – comprised of 90% trained volunteers – to deepen its disaster readiness. This includes fortifying the critical infrastructure and technology that enables 24/7 response to disasters across the country.

SUPPORT OUR DISASTER RELIEF WORK

Help people affected by disasters big and small, including climate-driven 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 in the U.S. Visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS. You can also deliver relief and care to families facing extreme weather by becoming a Red Cross volunteer at redcross.org/VolunteerToday.

MEDIA CONTACT: David Olejarz | david.olejarz@redcross.org | 313-303-0606

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 visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.