FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRINCETON, NJ, August 28, 2017 – The American Red Cross is working around the clock along the Gulf Coast to help the thousands of people whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
Thousands of people have been forced to leave their flooded homes, losing everything they own – and more rain and flooding is expected throughout the week. It is anticipated that many more families will be impacted.
Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers from all over the country are on the ground, working to provide safe shelter and comfort to people impacted by this devastating storm.
“Our hearts go out to the thousands of people impacted by Hurricane Harvey,” said Ana Montero, CEO, American Red Cross New Jersey Region. “We are grateful to all of the Red Cross disaster workers from right here in New Jersey who are leaving their families and heading to Texas to help. Our heartfelt thanks to those who have made a contribution to support relief efforts. We hope everyone will consider making a donation to support this massive disaster operation.”
Nineteen New Jersey Red Cross disaster workers have been helping with relief efforts in Texas, including Jodi Bocco of West Long Branch, Remy Davis of Basking Ridge, Christopher Dempsey of Ocean, Jean Edouard of Irvington, Lauri Gill of Sparta, Peter Grey of Sandyston, Grant Hansen of Ridgefield, Joan Klimpl of Somerset, Linda Kolman of Ventnor City, Kristee Lauro of Ocean, Carol Matthews of Florence, Carrie McIntosh of Pennsville, Ricardo Medrano of Union City, Christopher Pena of Old Bridge, Clare Rybczynski of Branchburg, Terrence Smith of Sewell, Shira Stern of Morganville and Gerald Zurawiecki of Wallington. Additional volunteers are on standby, ready to deploy as needed.
The Red Cross has launched a massive response to this devastating storm and needs financial donations to be able to provide immediate disaster relief. Help people affected by Hurricane Harvey by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.
We know Americans are generous and want to do everything they can to help after a disaster. Unfortunately, collecting and sending food, clothing and other household items often does more harm than good. It takes time and money to store, sort, clean and distribute donated items, which diverts limited time and resources away from helping those most affected. Instead, the best way to support disaster victims is with a financial donation.
To learn more about Red Cross Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, visit redcross.org.
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 visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
About the American Red Cross in New Jersey
The American Red Cross provides programs and services to a population of 8.8 million in New Jersey. The Red Cross trains and mobilizes more than 5,300 volunteers who support the delivery of services throughout the state. In New Jersey, last year, the Red Cross responded to more than 760 local disasters, mostly home fires, helping more than 1,800 displaced families; collected more than 89,100 units of blood through blood drives and Red Cross Blood Donation Centers; provided more than 3,500 military family case services with emergency messages, helping families find assistance and/or get counseling and referrals; and trained more than 116,100 individuals with life-saving skills in preparedness, CPR, AED use, first aid and aquatics. For more information, please visit redcross.orgJ and follow us on Twitter @NJRedCross.
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Contacts:
Diane Concannon, 609-206-4043 (cell)
diane.concannon@redcross.org
Erica Viviani, 973-309-3479 (cell)
erica.viviani@redcross.org
Twitter: @NJRedCross