Five volunteers from SW Washington to help provide disaster assistance in Texas

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 19, 2019 – Tropical Storm Imelda has brought intense rain to the state of Texas causing severe flooding in the city of Houston and the surrounding region. To help provide support for those in need, the Red Cross Cascades Region (serving Oregon and Southwest Washington) is deploying five volunteers to assist in the response. That number could increase in the days to come as the impact of the storm becomes clearer.

The Red Cross disaster responders from Longview, Wolf Creek, Woodland and Vancouver, Washington, are making their way to the region. In coordination with government and community partners, Red Crossers will be supporting disaster relief operations in shelters and providing food, cots, blankets and other relief supplies to help people affected by the flooding.

In order to be ready to assist in the relief efforts related to these disasters, the local Red Cross Cascades Region is always looking for volunteer disaster responders. People interested in volunteering for the Red Cross as a disaster responder are encouraged to visit redcross.org/volunteer for more information.

CONNECT WITH LOVED ONES

The Red Cross has two ways to help you reconnect with loved ones. The free Red Cross Safe and Well website allows people to register and post messages to indicate that they are safe, or to search for loved ones. The site is open to the public and available in Spanish. Registrations and searches can be done on the website or by texting SAFE to 78876.

The Red Cross Emergency App “I’m Safe” button allows users to post a message to their social accounts, letting friends and family know they are out of harm’s way. The Emergency App is in English and Spanish and is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

MAKE A DONATION Help people affected by disasters. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. Call 1-800-RED CROSS, visit RedCross.org or text ‘REDCROSS’ to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

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/Cascades or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossCasc.

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