It’s June — a time that coastal areas recognize as the start of hurricane season and what the American Red Cross calls “Disaster Season.” Disaster Season is steadily creeping into the winter and spring months when we typically expect a reprieve from large disaster responses and focus on recruiting volunteers, building partnerships and refreshing service delivery plans. Now, these activities occur in tandem year-round.

In the 1980s, the United States saw an average of three billion-dollar disasters (in terms of insured losses) each year. Over the past five years, the country has seen a six-fold increase and now averages 18 of them annually. Over these past few decades, large-scale disasters have gone from acute to chronic, meaning Red Cross volunteers are regularly on the ground after disasters, setting up shelters, serving hot meals and providing comfort to thousands with nowhere else to go.

Last year alone, local Red Cross volunteers — including 152 from South Carolina — raised their hands more than 300 times to deploy to support people in need, from Hurricane Ian in Florida to floods and tornadoes impacting multiple states and massive wildfires covering large swaths of the western United States. Right now, four S.C. Red Crossers are on the ground in Guam, a U.S. territory, to support relief efforts there after Typhoon Mawar devastated the island.

Every day, people in South Carolina and around the world face emergencies, and their needs are mounting. In 2021, more than 40% of Americans lived in counties hit by climate disasters.

As extreme weather events worsen, the Red Cross is pursuing an ambitious sustainability project to minimize our environmental impact. We’re working to slash our emissions, cut waste and reduce water usage. By minimizing our own environmental footprint, we can help combat the impact of the climate crisis on the people we serve.

Here in South Carolina, our Regional Green Team is working on several local sustainability projects, including adding electric vehicle charging stations to our Columbia office. By taking advantage of public programs incentivizing EV charging stations, we’ll be able to offer a new benefit to blood donors and volunteers who share their time and gifts with the community.

The Red Cross also is looking at every opportunity to build a more sustainable organization to serve the people who need us as efficiently as possible. Across the country, the Red Cross is transitioning more than 80% of our facilities to renewable energy sources and reducing our waste by more than 30%. In addition, we plan to reduce our fuel consumption by rightsizing our fleet and converting passenger vehicles to hybrid or electric models.

Throughout our more than 140-year history, the Red Cross has continuously evolved our services to meet new challenges. Over the next several years, we will grow our disaster workforce, strengthen networks of partners in high-risk communities, increase recovery assistance for those with the greatest needs and enhance support services for people who can’t return home.

We are making strategic investments now that will enable us to grow our capacity and adapt our disaster mission to help families and communities better cope with the humanitarian crisis caused by extreme weather.

The question remains when, not whether, South Carolina will be in the direct line of a powerful, catastrophic storm. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the power of compassionate volunteers and our collective strength alongside community partners, the Red Cross will be ready to respond when disaster strikes.

That’s where you come in. You can help in two ways: first, by ensuring your family is prepared for disasters of any size, and second, by supporting the Red Cross. Turn your compassion into action by investing in the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross. Donate today at redcross.org/donate.