Donations appealed to help those affected by Hurricane Helen
One week after Hurricane Helen made landfall, the American Red Cross is working 24/7 with dozens of partners to get help to people as quickly as possible. Helen’s destruction covers a vast area, and it takes time to travel through damaged roads and reach divided communities.
Red Cross Humanitarian Services President Trevor Riggen said, “Massive relief efforts for Hurricane Helen are underway and we are working around the clock to support the people and communities devastated by this storm’s destruction. We are working on this system.” “Our hearts go out to all those affected and we want you to know that you are not alone. The Red Cross and our partners will continue to work with you in the coming days and weeks. We are there to provide shelter, food and comfort for months.”
Hundreds of people remain missing in the southeast. Rapidly flowing water destroyed entire communities and damaged tens of thousands of homes. People need shelter, water, food and medical care. It will take time to reach everyone who needs help.
how to find help Many areas remain inaccessible. If you need assistance, please consider visiting a shelter. We understand that connectivity can be difficult, but if possible, please first download the Red Cross Emergency App to find your service location or visit: redcross.org/Helen. You can also find shelter by following your local Red Cross and local emergency officials on social media and monitoring local news. If you cannot access the information you need, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).
If you are looking for a loved one affected by the storm, please fill out the form below. redcross.org/Helen for the state in which they live. Please provide as much detail as possible. We know this is an incredibly emotional time and our Red Cross Reunion Team is working as quickly as possible to help reunite families.
The Red Cross has disaster mental health personnel in many locations. If you or a loved one needs help, call or text 1-800-985-5990 for free, multilingual support 24/7 through our Disaster and Distress Helpline.
How can we help? People affected by Hurricane Helen need urgent help right now, but we can’t do it alone. You can help by visiting and making a financial donation. redcross.org, 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or text the word “HELENE” to 90999. Hurricane Helen donations will enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from this disaster.
If you would like to volunteer with the Red Cross, please click here. redcross.org/volunteer To learn more about volunteer opportunities.
Blood drives have been canceled across the Southeast due to Helen, with more than 2,500 donations going uncollected. People outside of the affected areas are encouraged to visit and schedule an appointment to donate blood now. RedCrossBlood.org or using blood donor app to help replenish shelves
Red Cross response Approximately 1,300 Red Cross members are working tirelessly to provide safe shelter, food, water, and assistance to those in need. More than 200 Red Cross reintegration staff are working to reconnect loved ones despite connectivity issues. We have received approximately 4,000 requests for assistance and that number continues to grow.
In the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida, the Red Cross operates shelters where residents can receive hot meals and psychological support. In the Carolinas, we are working with multi-agency task forces to coordinate feeding efforts and ensure communities receive the assistance they need. And in Florida, we help assess home damage.
Together with our partners, we have already provided tens of thousands of shelter stays, meals and snacks. Emergency response vehicles from across the country are on the streets dispensing meals, water and snacks where it is safe to do so. As families begin to clean out their homes, supplies are gathered. Affected communities face different challenges, have different recovery timelines and require different support.
Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Thanks to the American Red Cross’ Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the generosity of disaster responders, the American Red Cross prepares for disasters before they occur. ADGP and disaster responder members help ensure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services, allowing the Red Cross to immediately respond to the needs of individuals and families affected by disasters, regardless of cost. Click here for details.
ADGP $1 million members:Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Chobani. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. CMA CGM Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Mobility Foundation. FedEx; Lilly Endowment Co.; Lowe’s Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; National Foundation; Pfizer Foundation. Starbucks Foundation. State Farm; Takeda; Trust Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation. wells fargo
ADGP $500,000 Member : Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Pan Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; Clorox Company. Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental. DHL supply chain. Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Philanthropies; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; Home Depot Foundation. JM Smucker Company. Johnson Control Foundation; Kaiser Permanente. Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Kroger Company Foundation. Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Company; MasterCard; Mondelez International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Paul Davis Restoration. PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Give Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, Harvey’s Supermarkets, Winn-Dixie. Stryker; Target; TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; United States Bank Foundation. Visa Foundation; Walt Disney Company. Wawa Foundation. Wesco; Zoetis Foundation
Disaster response members:7-Eleven Care Foundation; Adobe; AES Corporation; Aldi; American Tire Distributors; American Water Charitable Foundation. Ameriprise Financial. Guarantors; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation. Canadian National Railways. CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; Coca-Cola Foundation. Deluxe foundation. DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation. Discover; Dollar General; Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. Duke Energy; Erie Insurance; Equity; Fifth Third Foundation. FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; International News; Invitation Home; Keurig Dr. Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Company; L’Oréal; LabCorp Charitable Foundation. Lenovo Foundation; LKQ; Macy’s Corporation; Major League Baseball. Marathon Petroleum Corporation. Martin Marietta. Massage: The mattress is hard. McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group. NextEra Energy, Inc. Southern Norfolk. Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Lines. Pacific Life Foundation; Phillips 66; Prudential. Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt. Reliance Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Lidar Systems Inc.; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker. Stevens Corporation; Tata Consultancy Services; Uhaul International. Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; U.S. Food; Hmm! Brand: Zurich
