If you have been affected or evacuated from your residence due to by the Greenwood Fire in the Superior National Fire near Isabella, MN, you can access Red Cross information, supplies, and assistance in several ways. The Red Cross has established a telephone line to call for this incident: 844-292-7677, or you can visit the American Red Cross Shelter in person at:
Babbit Municipal Center
71 South Drive
Babbit, MN 55706
The location was selected in coordination with local emergency management agencies. The Red Cross Shelter is staffed 24 hours a day.
After emergencies, the Red Cross helps meet the urgent needs of people affected. “We focus on providing safe shelter, food, emotional support, first aid and health services, and emergency relief supplies, such as blankets, hygiene items and cleaning supplies,” said Dan Williams, executive director of the American Red Cross serving Northern Minnesota.
The Red Cross also plays a critical role in helping families and communities recover in the weeks and months after a disaster. To help communities recover, the Red Cross often brings groups and agencies together to plan recovery activities.
When an emergency happens, the Red Cross delivers help to whoever needs it, and, as part of our humanitarian mission, will feed, shelter, and provide other forms of support regardless of race, religion or citizenship status. The Red Cross is a charity, not a government agency, and people who have disaster-caused needs do not need to be American citizens to access Red Cross services.
Responding to disasters is a team effort, and the Red Cross works closely with community partners to meet the needs of those affected. Services, such as evacuation coordination, search and rescue, advanced medical care, managing donations of clothing and household goods, and pet sheltering, are best performed by the organizations that have the resources, trained workers and expertise to manage these necessary efforts. We work closely with the groups involved in those services to ensure that we direct people to the best organization to provide the help they need.
Shelter Resources
Partnering with St. Louis County and Lake County Emergency Management, Red Cross disaster
relief teams are on hand to support to families and individuals in need, by providing safe shelter, food, emergency relief supplies, emotional support, health services, current disaster information and other resources.
We encourage people who plan to stay in a Red Cross shelter to bring prescription medications, extra
clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents. Don’t forget to bring any special items for children, such as diapers, formula, and toys, or for family members who have unique needs.
The Red Cross Shelter in Babbit, in cooperation with St. Louis and Lake County emergency management
offers space for pets of shelter residents in a nearby location. Red Cross shelters are open to everyone, which means they must accommodate a wide range of people. Along with infants, children, and seniors, we may also have people with pet allergies, asthma, or other health issues, and people with a fear of animals. For the well-being of all people who turn to the Red Cross for help after a disaster, there often needs to be physical space between animals and people.
Be Ready to Evacuate
Download the free Red Cross Emergency app to help keep you and your loved ones safe with real-ime alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and safety advice on wildfires and other emergencies. To download the app, search for ‘American Red Cross’ in your app store or go to redcross.org/apps.
Volunteers
More than 30 Red Cross volunteers and staff from around the Minnesota and Dakotas Region have been working to assist residents in the area since the fire began August 15. In addition, since August 1, more than 30 Red Cross volunteers from the region have deployed to help people affected by wildfires, hurricanes, and floods across the country. Volunteers are always needed to respond to disaster. To learn more about training to respond to disasters visit redcross.org/mndaks.
Help Now
To Individuals can also help people affected by disasters big and small by making a gift directly to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donations to Disaster Relief enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters. Visit redcross.org/mndaks or call 1-800-REDCROSS for more information.
COVID-19 safety
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Red Cross has procedures and resources in place to help ensure the safety of those we serve and our workforce, especially when it comes to supporting local communities during a wildfire emergency. The Red Cross is still providing the same types of support after disasters as we always have, including making sure people have a safe place to stay, food to eat and resources to help them recover. We’ve put in place additional precautions, in line with CDC recommendations including social distancing protocols, masks, health screenings and enhanced cleaning procedures.
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. Our volunteers ensure that the Red Cross fulfills its mission in our region, which serves 7.2 million people in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. For more information, visit redcross.org/mndaks.
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The Red Cross Shelter in Babbit, in cooperation with St. Louis and Lake County emergency management offers space for pets of shelter residents in a nearby location. Red Cross shelters are open to everyone, which means they must accommodate a wide range of people. Along with infants, children, and seniors, we may also have people with pet allergies, asthma, or other health issues, and people with a fear of animals. For the well-being of all people who turn to the Red Cross for help after a disaster, there often needs to be physical space between animals and people.
