"Red Cross volunteers are working to bring care and comfort to those who have been displaced by this flooding”
The American Red Cross in Missouri has open shelters in Arnold, Branson, Hayti, Poplar Bluff, Neosho, West Plains, Ballwin, Pacific, Van Buren, Gainesville, Marquand, Granite City and Carbondale to help those affected by storms and flooding.
As of Wednesday, the Red Cross has provided 673 shelter night stays at 13 shelters across Missouri and Illinois. Volunteers have served 2,651 meals and snacks to shelter residents.
Red Cross volunteers are beginning to distribute cleanup kits, comfort kits and bulk items such as shovels, tarps and gloves.
Red Cross disaster assessment teams will be checking the extent of damage once the flood waters have receded enough to allow safe passage into the affected areas. As the rivers crest, and families plan their return home, the Red Cross reminds everyone to be careful. Danger still exists.
Red Cross volunteers have OPEN shelters at the following locations:
Branson United Methodist Church - 1208 W. Highway 76, Branson
Black River Colosseum - 301 S 5th Street, Poplar Bluff
Calvary Baptist Church - 2650 Oakridge Extension, Neosho
First Baptist Church of Arnold - 2012 Missouri State Road, Arnold
First Baptist Church Gainesville - 122 2nd Street, Gainesville
First Baptist Church - 202 Walnut, West Plains
Hayti Community Center - 600 E Washington Street, Hayti
Manchester United Methodist - 129 Woods Mill Road, Ballwin - Humane Society Mobile Animal Shelter on Site
Marquand Zion High School - 205 E Morley Street, Marquand
The Ridge Church - 7350 Old Highway 13, Carbondale
TriCounty Senior Center - 800 W. Union Street, Pacific - Humane Society of Missouri and Pacific Animal Shelter are partnering
Youth Community Center - 1204 County Road D, Van Buren
Hope Lutheran Church - 3715 Wabash Avenue, Granite City, Illinois - Call Metro East Humane Society at 618-656-4405 for help
In addition to providing safe place to sleep, volunteers will serve meals and snacks, and address medical concerns.
“Red Cross volunteers are working to bring care and comfort to those who have been displaced by this flooding,” said Cindy Erickson, Eastern Missouri CEO. “The Red Cross brings real help and hope to our neighbors in their darkest hour.”
FLOODING SAFETY INFORMATION
The Red Cross has steps people should follow to remain safe:
1. Be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice and heed evacuation orders when given. When a flood or flash flood warning is issued for your area, head for higher ground and stay there.
2. Stay away from floodwaters.
3. If you come upon a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
4. Keep children out of the water.
5. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers.
Heeding Storm Warnings: A severe storm WATCH means severe thunderstorms are possible in and near the designated area. People in a watch area should keep informed and be ready to act if a severe thunderstorm warning is issued. A severe storm WARNING means severe weather has been reported by spotters or indicated by radar. Warnings indicate imminent danger to life and property. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be in danger from lightning. Seek shelter immediately. The National Weather Service recommends staying inside for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder clap.
PLEASE HELP NOW The Red Cross will be helping people affected for weeks and possibly months to come, while at the same time responding to other emergencies, including helping people whose homes are destroyed by fires. The Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters each year in the United States – the vast majority of which are home fires.
People can help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief to support disasters big and small by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Locally, the American Red Cross of Eastern Missouri is a proud member agency of the United Way, which makes significant investments every year in Red Cross services.
About the American Red Cross of Eastern Missouri:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.