Community and Nation asked to Support during Hurricane, Storm Season<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
With an extremely active hurricane season looming, an oil spill in the Gulf that could make matters even worse, and local disasters such as recent flash flooding and home fires, the American Red Cross of Northeast Indiana, in conjunction with other regional Indiana Red Cross offices, will launch a new disaster relief fundraising drive.<\/p>\n
“The Red Cross spends about $450 million a year responding to disasters across the country – floods, wildfires, tornadoes, and home fires,” said Kay Ostrum, Executive Director of the Northeast Indiana Chapter of the American Red Cross. “We’re asking people to click, text or call to support Red Cross disaster relief.”<\/p>\n
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts between 3 to 7 major hurricanes this year. Major hurricanes are those category 3, 4 and 5 storms that do the most damage\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsuch as Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwith winds in excess of 100 miles per hour. These predictions bear an eerie resemblance to the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, when multiple major hurricanes, including Katrina, struck the U.S.<\/p>\n
Contributions for disaster relief will support response to the 70,000 disasters the Red Cross responds to every year, whether they are hurricanes that affect millions of people here or abroad, floods that affect thousands or a house fire that drives one family from its home.<\/p>\n
“We’re asking northeast Indiana residents for donations to help support Red Cross disaster relief, and we hope people will respond,” said Ostrum. “Every single donation brings hope to people in need.”<\/p>\n
You can help people affected by disasters like floods, fires, tornadoes, and hurricanes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support, and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit redcrossofnei.org<\/span> or call (260) 484-9336 ext. 230. Contributions may also be sent to the American National Red Cross by phone at 1-800-RED-CROSS or at P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.<\/p>\nAbout the American Red Cross<\/strong>
\nThe American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization \u00e2\u20ac\u201d not a government agency \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The American Red Cross of Northeast Indiana serves seven counties: Allen, DeKalb, Noble, Steuben, Wells and Whitley Counties in Indiana and Williams County in Ohio. For more information, call (260) 484-9336 or 1-800-513-2599, or visit redcrossofnei.org<\/span>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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