Before the first drops of rain touched ground, the American Red Cross was mobilizing a response effort for Hurricane Matthew, which has impacted five states along the Southeast coast as well as the Caribbean. The morning of October 10, nearly 7,000 people awoke in 156 Red Cross and community emergency shelters extending from Florida to Virginia. We currently have 100 trailer loads of supplies and more than 3,000 volunteers deployed to affected states.
The captions below correspond to the photos in the photo gallery above:
- Even in areas where homes were on higher ground, further away from the water and less prone to flooding, wind damage from Hurricane Matthew caused older trees in historic and established communities in Georgia and South Carolina to fall onto homes, crushing them due to the age and size of the trees. Trees and large limbs covered streets and cars. [Photo by Daniel Cima for the American Red Cross]
- In Savannah, Georgia, Hurricane Matthew struck in the middle of the night. As the storm swirled and howled around him, Haywood Frazier realized that his home could be destroyed. By 8am, the storm had calmed, but the wind continued to blow forcefully, and he went outside to talk with policemen who were checking on his block. At that moment, a gale wind caught a tree behind Haywood’s home, and caused it to crash onto his home, breaking through the roof, and into his kitchen ceiling. Haywood was very thankful not to be hurt, and glad to be able to share his story. [Photo by Daniel Cima for the American Red Cross]
- In Charleston, South Carolina, at the Red Cross Disaster Operations Center, critical information on shelter locations, staffing, and resources are quickly being updated and viewed by all members of the operation.
[Photo by Bob Wallace for the American Red Cross] - Norm’s Pizza Restaurant on Calhoun Street, an icon in Charleston, suffered water damage despite the fact that the workers had sandbagged the front entrance. “It would have been much worse if it were not for the sandbags….We hope to be open again for business maybe on Tuesday,” said Abby Hanf, a restaurant employee. Abby talked with Red Cross volunteer Bailey Williams as she pushed the last remnants of floodwaters from the restaurant’s floor. [Photo by Bob Wallace for the American Red Cross]
- Folly Beach resident Edward Oswald, with his daughter Amanda and 8-month old granddaughter Sydney, share impressions of the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew with Red Cross volunteer Bailey Williams. They were thankful that there was only minor damage to Edward’s home. [Photo by Bob Wallace for the American Red Cross]