This is re-posted from our Disaster Online Newsroom. Please visit the Newsroom for more information about what the Red Cross is doing.
Update 5/23/11 11:45 AM EDT: People in Joplin, MO seeking immediate transportation to shelter can find information on the Joplin city web site.
Disaster Update
The Red Cross is providing food, shelter and emotional support for the people whose lives have been disrupted by these tornadoes that devastated neighborhoods in Missouri, Minnesota, and other parts of the Midwest.
People should register on the Red Cross Safe and Well website to let loved ones know they are safe. They can also call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). People in the affected areas can list themselves as “safe and well” on the site. Friends and family outside the disaster area can then search for messages from their loved ones by using a pre-disaster phone number or complete address.
- Red Cross workers opened shelters in the damaged areas within hours and provided people with food and water and a safe place to stay.
- Red Cross emergency response vehicles in Missouri responded immediately and more vehicles are on the way to help distribute food, water and relief supplies in the affected neighborhoods.
- Red Cross workers are being deployed and relief materials, including personal hygiene items like toothbrushes and shampoo, tarps, coolers, rakes and other clean-up supplies, are now being sent to Joplin, Missouri.
- Trained health services and mental health workers are enroute to areas affected by the tornadoes to help people cope in the aftermath of these tragic storms.