- Lake County News reports
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Red Cross responds to Hurricane Sandy; local volunteers head east
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Thousands of people took refuge from Hurricane Sandy in American Red Cross shelters Sunday night as the massive storm neared the East Coast.
More than 3,200 people spent the night in 112 Red Cross shelters in nine states – New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Massachusetts.
The number of people seeking shelter is expected to grow as the storm comes ashore.
Locally, six volunteers from five North Bay counties (Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt) have been deployed to the East Coast.
They are assisting in feeding and sheltering those affected by Hurricane Sandy, as well as providing client services that work to accommodate each person’s individual needs.
Two volunteers from Santa Rosa, and one each from Ukiah, Kelseyville, Napa and McKinleyville, are working with volunteers from across the county to aid in the Red Cross relief efforts.
Due to current storm conditions, deployment has been placed on hold until it becomes safe to fly again.
The Red Cross has deployed more than 1,300 disaster workers to the region from all over the country and more than 230,000 ready-to-eat meals have been sent into the area.
To help find a loved one affected by the storm, people can download the Red Cross Hurricane app, visit the Red Cross web site, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or check their local media outlets.
People can also register on the Red Cross Safe and Well Web site, a secure and easy-to-use online tool that helps families connect during emergencies.
To register, visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). This site also connects with the Twitter and Facebook accounts of users.
The Red Cross predicts a large, costly relief response. Financial donations help the Red Cross provide services to those affected by disasters like Hurricane Sandy. To donate, people can:
- visit www.redcross.org ,
- call 1-800-RED-CROSS,
- text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
- Contributions may also be sent to American Red Cross, Sonoma, Mendocino, & Lake Counties 5297 Aero Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403-8070 or the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
More than 235,000 people have downloaded the free Red Cross Hurricane App Friday when Sandy began approaching.
The app gives up-to-date weather alerts, information on open Red Cross shelters, a toolkit with a flashlight, strobe light and alarm and a one-touch “I’m Safe” button that lets someone use social media outlets to let family and friends know they are okay.
The app is available in Spanish just by changing the smart phone setting to Spanish before downloading.
The First Aid app puts expert advice for everyday emergencies in a person’s hand. Both can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross.