Red Cross Repeats Call for Disaster Volunteers as Hurricane Delta Approaches Gulf Coast

(INDIANAPOLIS) – As the U.S. Gulf Coast prepares for Hurricane Delta’s projected Friday landfall, the Indiana Region of the American Red Cross continues to need new volunteers to help the country respond to and recover from multiple back-to-back disasters. Since June, more than 100 Indiana Region volunteers have stepped up to respond to disasters, such as the derecho in Iowa, major hurricanes and tropical storms in the south, and devastating wildfires in the west.

Hurricane Delta compounds an already busy hurricane season, with nine named storms making landfall in the United States. States of emergency have been declared in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi ahead of Hurricane Delta; and some areas are especially vulnerable, as they are still recovering from previous hurricane damage.

COVID-19 has not changed the high level of support the Red Cross—which is powered primarily by volunteers—provides to those in need. Over the past few weeks the Red Cross has:

  • Provided 939,700 total overnight stays in emergency lodgings across multiple states.
  • Served more than 2.3 million (2,330,500) meals and snacks, and distributed 291,300 relief items with the help of partners.
  • Shared 82,400 individual care contacts to help people with medical or disability needs, or for those needing emotional and spiritual support during these challenging times.
  • Provided 5,130 households with emergency financial assistance to help them replace essential items and begin to recover.

The Indiana Region of the American Red Cross—which unfailingly sends disaster volunteers across the country in times of need—has fast-tracked its Disaster Action Team (DAT) training and set up virtual delivery capabilities. New volunteers can quickly learn basic response and recovery skills and be ready to deploy to a disaster location.

Before committing to training, disaster response volunteers should be willing and able to:

  • Accept a two-week deployment;
  • Live in a communal space (i.e., a shelter); and
  • Work 12 hours per day, 6-7 days each week.

“Our volunteers are already working nonstop, and the disasters keep coming,” said Chad Priest, regional CEO of the American Red Cross–Indiana Region. “We welcome all newcomers and can quickly train anyone who wants to join our Red Cross mission to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.”

To join the Red Cross mission and receive expedited volunteer training to provide essential services to those in need, go to: www.redcross.org/volunteertoday or call (888) 684-1441. Or, there are other ways to help during this challenging time:

  • Donate at redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help the thousands of individuals and families impacted by disasters in recent weeks.
  • Schedule an appointment to donate blood at redcross.org/blood. The Red Cross urges eligible individuals in parts of the country unaffected by these disasters to give blood or platelets to help ensure a sufficient blood supply for patients in need. Through our national inventory system, the Red Cross can move blood around the country to wherever and whenever it is needed most.

About the Indiana Region of the American Red Cross: The Indiana Region serves 104 counties across Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois through its six chapter areas: Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Greater Indianapolis (Regional Headquarters). For more information on the Indiana Region: www.redcross.org/indiana. Follow the Indiana Region on Twitter at: @INRedCross, on Instagram at: @indianaredcross or www.facebook.com/INRedCross.

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 cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.