More Red Cross Volunteers Deployed to Storm-Ravaged Areas

Nearly three dozen volunteers from the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter have gone to the East Coast to help people affected by Superstorm Sandy and the Nor’Easter.

Twenty-two volunteers left earlier this week, in addition to 11 volunteer who had already been deployed to the storm-strickent areas. A total of 127 volunteers from the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas are now helping with relief efforts.

The latest group of Santa Cruz County volunteers include: Julia Batz of Watsonville, Daniel Mcrae of Scotts Valley, Allen Mayfield of Carmel, Robert Farnham of Hollister, Lauren Herrera of San Rafael, Theresa Crocker of Freedom, Scott Auerbach, Janet Packer, and Michael Fyfe of Aptos, Suzanne Samson of Capitola, Darryl Davies and Howard Yancey of Felton, Erin Cashier, Susan Curry, Christa Ward, Louisa Squires, Carmen Mulholland, Megan Darrough, Mitch Stricker, Sharon Parker, Karen and Art Larios of Santa Cruz. They will be assisting people in a wide range of activities including feeding, client casework, sheltering, logistics and mass care.

This week's Nor’Easter brought heavy rain, strong winds and snow to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast prolonging power outages to the 810,000 customers who continue to stay without power and impact several areas already affected by Superstorm Sandy, causing additional power outages.

Since Superstorm Sandy has hit, the Red Cross has served more than 3.3 million meals and snacks, provided nearly 30,000 health services and emotional support contacts and handed out more than 124,000 relief items to clients. There have been over 117,000 overnight stays at Red Cross and partner shelters and this number continues to rise. Wednesday night about 7,600 people affected by Sandy stayed in more than 110 Red Cross and partner shelters.

Financial Donations Needed

The Red Cross has been helping people since before Sandy made landfall and will continue to help for weeks to come as families get back on their feet. This is likely to be the biggest Red Cross response in the U.S. in the past five years.  Those who want to help can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767). People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. People can also use the “donate” feature on the free Red Cross Apps to support the Red Cross relief response. Contributions may also be sent to local American Red Cross chapters.

This week, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office urged people to make donations directly to reputable charities, such as the Red Cross, instead of from solicitors calling or emailing. Some red flags to be aware of include a solicitor pressuring for a donation, asking for cash, offering to come to a home to pick up a check or being unable to explain how a donation will be used

Looking for Loved Ones

The Red Cross Safe and Well website is also available. People can access the site and let loved ones know where they are. There are several ways to register on Safe and Well, or search for a loved one. From a computer, visit redcross.org; from a smart phone, visit www.redcross.org/safeandwell or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to be connected with one’s local Red Cross chapter.

About the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter

The American Red Cross Santa Cruz County Chapter is a non-profit, humanitarian organization that depends on the generous contributions of time and money from Santa Cruz County residents and companies to provide services and programs that help our community prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. For more information on disaster preparedness, health and safety classes, volunteer opportunities, and financial contributions, visit our website at www.sccredcross.org or call us at 831-462-2881. You may also find us on Facebook and Twitter.