Fast Facts for Illinois Relief Operation

Statistics as of August 30, 2007, 11:00 a.m.

 Shelters/Evacuation Centers: Total, 2, Last night, 1

Shelter residents: Total, 144, Last night, 50

Meals served, 4,141

Snacks served, 2,146

Fast Facts for Illinois

Statistics as of August 28, 2007, 11:00 a.m.

Shelter/Evacuation Centers, 2

Shelter residents, 54

Meals served, 3,734

Snacks served, 1,046

Fast Facts For Illinois

Statistics as of August 27, 2007, 6:00 p.m.

Shelters/Evacuation Centers, 2

Shelter residents, 13

Meals served, 2,500

Snacks served, 600

Operational Facts for Illinois

 

Statistics as of August 27, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.

Shelters/Evacuation Centers, 2

Shelter residents last night, 13

Meals served, 2,500

Snacks served, 600

Dolton Shelter Opens Tonight

Contact: Martha Dittmar
American Red Cross of Greater Chicago
Phone: 312-729-6204
312-907-0520

American Red Cross Opening Shelter in Dolton Tonight
Shelter Open To Anyone Displaced By Flooding

CHICAGO- August 26, 2007 – The American Red Cross will open a shelter at the LorimerBaptist Church, located at 14801 Lincoln Avenue, in Dolton at 7 p.m. tonight. The shelter is open to anyone who has been displaced due to flooding and will remain open until at least Tuesday night.

The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago and American Red Cross of Fox River are working together to provide clean up kits and staff shelters to help people in Chicagoland affected by this disaster.

To date, the American Red Cross has opened several shelters throughout Chicagoland, served more than 1000 snacks and meals to displaced residents, clean up crews and relief workers and distributed more than 300 flood clean-up kits. An additional 200 clean up kits, donated by Grainger, were assembled today and will be distributed to local Emregency Management Agencies for distribution. Teams of American Red Cross disaster relief workers are currently conducting damage assessments throughout the region to determine additional needs.

Individuals seeking clean up kits should contact their local Emergency Management Agency. Residents seeking assistance with flooding disaster induced needs should contact the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago at 312-729-6100 or their local Red Cross chapter.

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Consolidated Relief Operation Information

 

This is a consolidated report for Tropical Storm Erin affecting Texas and Oklahoma, and the Midwest flooding affecting Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois. Information is current as of August 25, 2007, at 6:00 p.m.

Shelters open: 26

Meals Served: 27,492

Snacks Served: 14,903

Total Red Cross Workers: 1834

Additional Donations Needed for Flood Victim Relief

 

Northeast Floods

Relief Operation Headquarters

2111 Stonehedge Drive

Findlay, OH 44804

Contact: Lynn Cook

(512) 529-7899

 

Persistent Flooding Devastates the Midwest and South Central US

Additional Donations Needed to Provide Relief to Flood Victims

  FINDLAY, OH , Sunday, August 26, 2007 – Heavy rain and flooding continues to plague the Midwest and South Central US submerging thousands of residences and businesses and leaving 22 people dead. The American Red Cross was among the first on the ground and continues to respond to the torrential storm systems throughout Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin by providing food, shelter, counseling and other assistance made possible by funds from the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

The Red Cross asks the public to please give generously to the Disaster Relief Fund in support of these disasters. The Disaster Relief Fund is the financial resource through which the Red Cross can provide immediate relief to disaster victims before the first donations have been given in response to these disasters. Donations from the Disaster Relief Fund have enabled Red Cross volunteers and employees to be stationed across the affected areas providing flood victims, families, children and elderly with essential resources needed to cope with the immediate aftermath of the floods.

The Red Cross has opened shelters, providing residents with a dry place to stay and hot meals. Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) are driving through flooded communities distributing food, clean-up kits and comfort kits to families, individuals and rescue workers who cannot make it to a shelter or are involved with clean-up efforts. Licensed Red Cross mental health professionals are helping families and individuals cope with the fear and stress from the trauma of flood disasters. Financial contributions are still needed to support Red Cross relief efforts, and more hazardous weather is forecasted for already flooded areas. The Red Cross response in Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin is expected to cost millions of dollars.

“The Red Cross will continue to work with community partners to identify resources that can aid in the recovery of individuals and families affected by the floods,” said Kathleen Loehr, Interim Senior Vice President of Development at the American Red Cross. “It is only through the public’s continued support of the Disaster Relief Fund that we are able to provide lifesaving services during these times of multiple disasters.”  

Americans can support the Disaster Relief Fund and help provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by visiting www.redcross.org or call 1-800- RED-CROSS to make a donation.

 

Red Cross Flood Clean Up Tips

Contact: Martha Dittmar
Organization: American Red Cross of Greater
ChicagoPhone:
312-729-6204
312-907-0520Email:
dittmarm@usa.redcross.org  
  
American Red Cross Flood Clean-Up Tips  

CHICAGO-August 25, 2007- The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago offers the following suggestions on how to clean up after a flood. Visit www.chicagoredcross.org for a downloadable guide containing more detailed information.

If you home has been rendered uninhabitable by flooding please contact your local Red Cross chapter for assistance. Chicagoland area residents can contact the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago at 312-729-6100 for help. Individuals seeking clean-up kits should contact their county Emergency Management Agency. 

American Red Cross Flood Clean-Up Tips

Take a cleaning supplies checklist that includes the following:

 -          Brooms, mops, brushes, sponges

-          Buckets, hose

-          Rubber gloves

-          Rags

-          Cleaner

-          Disinfectants

-          Trash bags

-          Hair Dryer 

• Tackle one room at a time. Use a two bucket approach—one bucket for rinsing and the other for cleaners. This keeps most of the dirty rinse water out of your cleaning solution.  
• When cleaning a wall, start at the bottom where the most damage is. If the wallboard or plaster was removed, wash the studs and sills and disinfect them.
• Don’t try to force open swollen wooden doors and drawers. Take off the back of the furniture to let the air circulate. You will probably be able to open the drawers after they dry.
• Check the back of all electrical appliances for warning labels before touching or cleaning them. Appliances with warning labels will have to be professionally cleaned. If you can’t wait for a professional cleaning job, unplug, disassemble and hose off the appliance with hot water. Then clean and disinfect, but do not use detergents.
• Watch for stripped or damaged wire insulation. Make sure all appliances are properly grounded. For more information on cleaning your electrical system, click on this link: http://www.redcross.org/static/file_cont333_lang0_150.pdf
• Even if your washing machine did not get wet, do not use it until you are sure the water is safe enough to drink and your sewer line works. Before you wash your clothes, run the machine through one full cycle with hot water and a disinfectant or sanitizer.
• Throw out soft plastic or porous items that probably absorbed whatever the floodwaters carried in.
• The same rules that go for the washing machine also go for the dish washing machine. Make sure the water is safe and the sewer system is functioning, and run the machine once with disinfectant to clean it. Until the machine is safe to use, wash dishes by hand with a disinfectant and let them air dry. Do not use a dish towel.
• Food and garbage must be hauled away immediately. Don’t turn your yard into a garbage dump.
• Drain or remove standing water to prevent breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Empty water from old tires, barrels and cans.
• Check that your gutters, ditches and drains are clean and can work properly to carry water away from your home.

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Media Advisory: ARC and Granger to Assemble Clean Up Kits

MEDIA ADVISORY  

Contact: Martha Dittmar
Organization: American Red Cross of Greater Chicago
Phone: 312-729-6204312-907-0520
Joseph Joria 312-617-3752
Email: dittmarm@usa.redcross.org    

American Red Cross and Grainger Team Up To Assemble Flood Clean Up Kits                                   

CHICAGO- August 25, 2007 – American Red Cross Ready When the Time Comes volunteers from Grainger, a local distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, will be assembling clean up kits at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago Hillside location at 350 N. Manheim Road in Hillside on Sunday August 26, 2007 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Grainger generously donated components for more than 200 much-needed clean up kits.  Clean up kits include supplies (including bleach, plastic sheeting etc.) and information about how to safely clean up after water recedes. Once kits are assembled they will be provided to County Emergency Management Agencies (EMA) who will distribute the kits to residents. Residents seeking a clean-up kit should contact their local EMA. 

Media: Photo Opportunity

American Red Cross Volunteers Assemble Clean Up Kits
American Red Cross Hillside location
350 N. Mannheim Road
Hillside, Illinois 60162
9 a.m.-11 a.m. 

The American Red Cross Ready When the Time Comes Program is a national initiative that began as a partnership between the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago and Grainger. In Chicagoland the following corporations participate in this program: Ace Hardware, AON, CDW, Deloitte, Crystal Lake Jaycees, GATX, Grainger, Hewitt, Huron Consulting Group, Monarch Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., Moody Bible Institute, Motorola, Newark InOne, and Robert Morris College, Ty Inc. 

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Red Cross Corporate Volunteer Teams Assisting with Relief Efforts

 

Contact: Martha Dittmar
Organization: American Red Cross of Greater Chicago
Phone: 312-729-6204
312-907-0520
Email: dittmarm@usa.redcross.org

Red Cross Corporate Volunteer Teams Assisting With Relief Efforts

CHICAGO- August 25, 2007 - Teams of local corporate volunteers have been deployed through the American Red Cross Ready When the Time Comes Program to assist with local relief efforts. Teams from GATX, Grainger, Newark in One and CDW are on standby to staff shelters and unload relief supplies. In Chicagoland the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago Ready When the Time Comes corporate volunteer team is 1700 members strong.“The American Red Cross When the Time Comes Program is a perfect example of how the business community and relief agencies come together in times of crisis to serve the community, ” Francesca M. Maher, CEO American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. “These teams of workers, pulled together by their employers, have volunteered their time to help their neighbors in times of disaster. The American Red Cross partners with businesses, municipalities and other nonprofits to support disaster relief efforts.”-Media: Photo Opportunity
American Red Cross Ready When the Time Comes corporate volunteer teams from CDW, accompanied by American Red Cross of Greater Chicago CEO Francesca M. Maher, will be unloading boxes of relief supplies including clean up kits at 12 p.m. today.
American Red Cross Hillside location 350 N. Mannheim Road, Hillside, Illinois 60162, NoonThe American Red Cross Ready When the Time Comes Program is a national initiative that began as a partnership between the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago and Grainger. In Chicagoland the following corporations participate in this program: Ace Hardware, Crystal Lake Jaycees, Federal Reserve Bank, GATX, Grainger, Hewitt, Home Depot, Huron Consulting Group, Monarch Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., Moody Bible Institute, Motorola, Newark InOne, and Robert Morris College, Ty Inc.

In addition to the Ready When the Times Comes volunteers, teams of American Red Cross disaster relief workers are set to arrive from across the Midwest in the coming days to assist local chapters with disaster relief efforts. The teams will be dispatched throughout Chicagoland to assess damage and provide relief to people affected by this disaster. 

Visit the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago web site www.chicagoredcross.org for information on flooding safety tips including suggestions on how to best clean your home after a flood.

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