The pictures from the flooding brought by Tropical Storm Florence in North Carolina and surrounding states are stunning in their devastation.
Submerged cars and homes.
Entire towns filled with and surrounded by water
People on rooftops.
The elderly being carried to safety.
Women and children being placed in boats and floated from their homes.
Animals being rescued.
Emergency crews providing food and water to those in desperate need.
It is heartbreaking.
Kauai has endured its own flooding this year. Families have been hit hard. Homes lost. Cars floated away. Roads washed out. And we know that many still need help.
We bring this up as a simple request that if you can help with a donation, please do. The best organization we know of locally who can has the reach to make a difference in North Carolina is the American Red Cross, which is doing exactly.
The American Red Cross is helping people in multiple states impacted by Tropical Storm Florence, providing food and shelter to the thousands of people who have had to flee their homes as the danger from this massive storm continues.
As of Saturday, more than 17,100 people were in more than 240 Red Cross and community shelters. This includes at least 10,400 people in 153 shelters in North Carolina, and 6,200 people in 73 shelters in South Carolina. An additional 480 people stayed in 22 shelters in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland and Kentucky. Working with partners, the Red Cross has served 95,600 meals and snacks across eight states.
Oahu Red Cross volunteer, Amy Laurel Hegy, will be deploying to South Carolina to support sheltering operations on the response, according to a Red Cross press release.
Consider all Red Cross has done.
About 2,200 Red Cross disaster workers from all over the country have been mobilized to help shelter, feed and support people affected by Florence.
The Red Cross is mobilizing 140 emergency response vehicles and more than 120 trailers of equipment and supplies, including more than150,000 ready-to-eat meals and enough cots and blankets for more than 42,000 people. It is also working with the Southern Baptists to deploy 9 field kitchens that can together produce 170,000 meals per day.
Since Sept. 11, more than 3.6 million weather alerts have been sent through Red Cross apps to help people make lifesaving decisions.
Which brings us to the question, how can you help?
The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Florence by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word FLORENCE to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
And where does that money go?
Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. The Red Cross honors donor intent. Donors can designate their donation to Hurricane Florence relief efforts by choosing that option.
Red Cross deserves our support.
Please do.
