Leila Koci, Idriz Sahiti, their son, Arber, and daughter, Fiona, are still recovering from their harrowing experience during Tropical Storm Ida. While walking into the kitchen of the family’s Somerville home on Wednesday night, Leila noticed water rushing in. She immediately gathered her family and they evacuated with the clothes on their back.  

After a struggle to escape the rapidly rising flood waters, the family finally reached their car. Soaked and unsure of what to do next, they headed for higher ground and spent the evening in their car in a supermarket parking lot. After returning to their apartment the next day they saw rescue teams using boats to evacuate residents from the higher floors of their building. It was here they learned about a local evacuation shelter in Somerville. 

As they entered the shelter, they realized that the conditions were not right for their son who has special needs. After Arber’s repeated requests to go home, they returned to their apartment to show him why they couldn’t go home. In chatting with a firefighter at the scene, they learned about a Red Cross shelter located at Bernardsville High School. The family arrived at the Red Cross shelter around noon.  

“Everyone is so nice and they are making accommodations for Arber,” Leila said. “The Red Cross is doing the best they can to help. It means everything that my kids are taken care of.” 

Since Tropical Storm Ida hit New Jersey, the Red Cross has provided nearly 750 overnight stays at shelters and volunteers have served more than 1,300 meals. Red Cross Disaster Health Services have assisted nearly 125 people. 

HURRICANE IDA DISASTER RESPONSE Along the Gulf Coast, the work of the Red Cross is just getting started as we help people struggling with the heartbreaking damage left by Hurricane Ida, scorching temperatures and widespread power outages. Some 750 trained Red Cross workers are on the ground now supporting relief efforts in the South. Thursday night, more than 2,400 people sought refuge in 29 Red Cross and community shelters across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas. 

In some of the hardest hit parishes, the Red Cross has response vehicles circulating through accessible areas to distribute critical supplies including water, comfort kits and ready to eat meals. The Red Cross is working with partners to set up mobile kitchens capable of preparing tens of thousands of meals. And in the coming days, those meals will be loaded onto dozens of Red Cross emergency response vehicles and delivered to people in the hardest hit areas struggling to recover. With the help of partners, the Red Cross has already provided some 49,500 meals and snacks and distributed more than 16,000 relief items.

HOW TO FIND A SHELTER Anyone in the affected areas that needs a safe place to stay should visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in your app store or by going to redcross.org/apps. for shelter locations.

HOW YOU CAN HELP To help people affected by Hurricane Ida, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word IDA to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Your gift is a commitment to helping people in need, and every single donation matters. Financial donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

VOLUNTEER If you have the time, you can make a significant impact as a Red Cross volunteer. Review our most urgently needed volunteer positions at redcross.org/volunteertoday.