The American Red Cross has committed an initial $2 million to support those affected in the Bahamas by Dorian, and is also helping evacuees arriving in the U.S.
The Red Cross is also working in close coordination with our partners at Palm Beach County Emergency Management to provide shelter in West Palm Beach, Florida for evacuees arriving from the Bahamas. In addition to offering safe haven as evacuees plan their next steps, the Red Cross will provide food, water, hygiene items, health services and emotional support. Volunteers will also help reconnect families and provide referrals to those in need with the generous support available through community resources.
If you have lost contact with a US citizen traveling in the Bahamas, contact the U.S. State Department at 1-888-407-4747.
URGENT SITUATION Tens of thousands of people have been affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Both Abaco and Grand Bahama have suffered major destruction, and people are evacuating both islands at a rapid pace. Families in Abaco are leaving the island via helicopter, plane and boat. They are heading to Nassau to stay with family members or at government-run shelters and to join loved ones in the U.S.
People remaining in communities damaged by Hurricane Dorian need emergency shelter materials, water and sanitation, basic hygiene items and more. Teleconnectivity challenges mean that many people still haven’t been able to get in touch with loved ones.
In Nassau, Bahamas Red Cross volunteers have distributed hygiene items, food parcels, clothing and other essentials to evacuees who lost everything to Hurricane Dorian. Volunteers are providing comfort to people suffering from emotional distress and have helped evacuees make phone calls to their families abroad to let them know that they weathered the storm.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have started rolling out a major emergency relief effort, including plane loads of relief supplies landing in the Bahamas, as well as a ship carrying Red Cross relief supplies, which has arrived at Marsh Harbor on the island of Abaco.
There are serious challenges in terms of delivering aid, including damaged airports and destroyed telecommunications networks. Even search-and-rescue choppers haven’t been able to reach some people because there’s no place to land. These challenges are affecting everyone.”
U.S. RESPONSE
Meanwhile, here at home, the Red Cross continues to support people affected by Hurricane Dorian across multiple states. As flood waters recede and power is restored across the east coast, most people have returned home.
Sunday night, 64 people remained in 1 Red Cross shelter in West Palm Beach, Florida, where volunteers are providing comfort to people evacuated to the U.S. from the Bahamas. To date, the Red Cross and community organizations have provided over 38,000 cumulative overnight stays for Hurricane Dorian.
More than 2,800 trained Red Cross responders from all over the country have supported relief efforts. With the help of our partners, the Red Cross has served more than 116,400 meals and snacks. Volunteer mental health and health services professionals have provided some 11,900 contacts to provide support and care to people affected by Hurricane Dorian. More than 32.5 million weather alerts related to Dorian have been sent through Red Cross mobile apps since August 28.
PLEASE GIVE BLOOD Hurricane Dorian has forced the cancellation of nearly 100 Red Cross blood drives and donation centers in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, resulting in more than 2,300 uncollected blood and platelet donations. We urge eligible individuals in unaffected areas to give blood or platelets to ensure a sufficient blood supply for patients. Schedule an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
HOW YOU CAN HELP You can make a difference in the lives of people impacted by Hurricane Dorian in both the U.S. and the Bahamas. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS ((1-800-733-2767), or text the word DORIAN to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. In the U.S., this includes providing food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance.
For those interested in helping people specifically in the Bahamas, they should write “Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas” in the memo line of a check and mail it to their local Red Cross chapter with the completed donation form available at redcross.org/donate.
CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.
ADGP $1 Million members are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; The Home Depot Foundation; Latter-day Saints Charities; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; Verizon; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Walt Disney Company.
ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; AmazonSmile; Aon; BMW of North America; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; CSX; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Discover; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Grainger; HCA Healthcare; Humble Bundle; IBM Corporation; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; LHC Group; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Nissan North America; PepsiCo Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; PwC Charitable Foundation; Sands Cares; Southwest Airlines; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; The USAA Foundation, Inc.; The Wawa Foundation; and Wells Fargo.
Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; AdvoCare International L.P.; American Express; Assurant; AstraZeneca; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; The Coca-Cola Company; Consumer Cellular; Cox Enterprises; DICK’S Sporting Goods; Duke Energy; Duke Realty; Edison International; Entergy Corporation; Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation; GE Foundation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; John Deere Foundation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Land O’Lakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Medtronic Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; The Pfizer Foundation; Prudential Financial; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; The Starbucks Foundation; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; U.S. Bank; and Visa.
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.
