32,000+ evacuees seek shelter as Florida braces for Hurricane Milton (2024)

Red Cross helping in Florida while supporting people across other states impacted by Helene

Hundreds of American Red Cross disaster responders are working around the clock to provide safe refuge, comfort and support as Floridians brace for Hurricane Milton, which could be one of the most destructive storms on record. The Red Cross also continues to support people across other states impacted by Helene.

WE NEED YOUR HELP People need urgent support now, and we can’t do this alone. Please help by making a financial donation, an appointment to give blood or platelets, or signing up to become a volunteer by visitingredcross.orgor calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Financial donations to help people affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters. You can also text the word HURRICANES to 90999 to make a donation.

The cancellation of blood drives across the Southeast caused thousands of blood donationsto go uncollected. Hurricane Milton has the potential to further deplete the blood supply. Those outside the affected areas are encouraged to schedule a blood donation appointment here.

If you want to make a difference in the lives of others, consider becoming a Red Cross volunteer.

HURRICANE MILTON As millions of people evacuate in advance of Milton, gas and hotel rooms are in high demand. We want everyone to know that shelters are open to support people and pets in need of safety. In fact, some 32,000 people spent Tuesday night in evacuation shelters managed by the Red Cross and other organizations.

Experts say Milton may almost double in size before landfall in Florida, meaning a larger part of the state will experience the storm’s devastating winds, more than a foot of rain and 15-foot storm surge. If you need a safe place to stay, visit redcross.org, download the free Red Cross Emergency app or call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). You can also find shelters by following your local Red Cross and local emergency officials on social media, or by monitoring local news. If you need help getting to a shelter in Florida, call 800-729-3413 for help or visit floridadisaster.gov.

Red Cross shelters are open to everyone in need, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or citizenship status. All disaster assistance is free. We don’t require people to show any kind of identification to enter a shelter — just their name and where they were living before the disaster.

Hurricane evacuation shelters are typically only meant to shelter people for a short amount of time as a hurricane moves through. These facilities may not have cots and blankets available for everyone. If possible, we encourage people who plan to stay in a shelter to bring prescription medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, other comfort items and important documents. Don’t forget to bring any special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, or for family members who have unique needs.

HURRICANE HELENE Even as Milton threatens Florida, the Red Cross is working tirelessly in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee to provide shelter, food, water, relief supplies and comfort to those still coping with the unimaginable destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene.

Hundreds of Red Crossers and our partners have provided nearly 35,000 overnight stays in emergency shelters and more than 513,000 meals and snacks to help those affected by Helene. Dozens of emergency response vehicles are on the roads providing meals, water and supplies to those living without electricity and struggling to clean up their homes.

People are still trying to find loved ones missing after Hurricane Helene and Red Cross reunification staff are working nonstop to help. If you need assistance, visit redcross.org/helene.

CLIMATE CRISIS As the climate crisis worsens, it’s becoming increasingly common for the Red Cross to respond to multiple large disasters at the same time. To respond effectively, we depend on a large network of trained volunteers and disaster employees, as well as a fleet of response vehicles and warehouses stocked with relief supplies across the country. We can’t do this alone. Disasters this large require a team effort and we rely on community partners and generous donors to ensure we can mobilize quickly when it matters most.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by

ADGP $1M 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 Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; Nationwide Foundation; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; DHL Supply Chain; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Philanthropy; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; Paul Davis Restoration; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie; Stryker; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Zoetis Foundation

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; ALDI; American Tire Distributors; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Deluxe Foundation; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Dollar Tree and Family Dollar; Duke Energy; Erie Insurance; Equitable; Fifth Third Foundation; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; L’Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Martin Marietta; Masco; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation; Phillips 66; Prudential; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reliance, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Suburban Propane; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; U.S. Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich

32,000+ evacuees seek shelter as Florida braces for Hurricane Milton (2024)

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