13 Red Cross Workers to Deploy for Hurricane Harvey Relief in Houston

UPDATE: 6:15 a.m. 8.28.17

Four more Red Cross volunteers from Oʻahu will deploy to Texas to assist with the disaster relief effort, and another volunteer from the Big Island will deploy to Louisiana to assist with sheltering.  This brings a total of 13 volunteers from the State of Hawaiʻi being deployed for Harvey.  More Hawaiʻi volunteers are on standby for possible deployment.

UPDATE: 3 p.m. 8.27.17

Maui Now graphic.

The remnants of Hurricane Harvey continue to be a threat as extremely dangerous flooding continues in Texas and parts of Louisiana. The American Red Cross is working around the clock to provide safe shelter and comfort for the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by this disaster.

As of Sunday, a total of eight Hawaiʻi Red Cross volunteers have either deployed or will be deployed to Texas to assist with the Red Cross response to Harvey.  One Big Island Red Cross volunteer deployed to Houston to help ensure the safety and security of volunteers and assets on this relief operation.  Seven other Red Cross volunteers from Hawaiʻi will deploy on Sunday or Monday:  two from the Big Island to do Damage Assessment; one from the Big Island to do Feeding; one from Maui to do Damage Assessment; one from Maui to provide disaster mental health services; one from Molokaʻi to do Bulk Distribution; and one from Oʻahu to help with Community Partnerships.  More Hawaiʻi volunteers are on standby to possibly deploy.

Red Cross Response. More than 1,800 people took refuge from the deadly storm Saturday night in 34 Red Cross and community shelters in Texas. In Louisiana, one shelter is open where 8 people spent Saturday night. These numbers are expected to grow and dozens of additional shelters could open. Harvey will continue to produce large amounts of rain over the next several days. Millions of people are facing flash flood warnings, including the entire Houston metro area which is under a flash flood emergency. There are reports of people stranded in their homes and water rescues are ongoing. Roads are flooded, rail lines are shut down, airports closed and hundreds of thousands have no power. Numerous hospitals, nursing facilities and dialysis centers are closed.

Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers from all over the country are on the ground now, working to provide safe shelter and comfort to people impacted by this devastating storm. The Red Cross has enough shelter supplies in Texas to support 28,000 people and supplies for an additional 22,000 people are being sent in now.

In addition, tractor trailer loads of ready-to-eat meals, comfort kits, kitchen supplies and cleaning supplies are on the ground in Texas. Nearly half of our emergency response fleet — more than 150 vehicles – have been mobilized. The Red Cross also prepositioned blood products in Houston ahead of the storm to help ensure we can maintain an adequate blood supply over the weekend.

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Six Red Cross volunteers from Hawaiʻi are deploying to assist with relief operations in Texas following impacts associated with Hurricane Harvey.

Maui Now graphic. Background image: NHC satellite imagery 8.27.17.

One Big Island Red Cross volunteer already deployed to Houston over the weekend, and five other Red Cross volunteers from Hawaiʻi will depart for Houston on Sunday or Monday. One from Maui and two from the Big Island will do Damage Assessments; one from the Big Island will help with Feeding; and one from Oʻahu will help with Community Partnerships. More Hawaiʻi volunteers are on standby to possibly deploy.

The American Red Cross mounted a massive relief effort ahead of the devastating hurricane, deploying over 35 tractor trailer loads of relief supplies to Texas (enough cots, blankets, and shelter supplies to serve 20,000 shelter residents for weeks). More than 400 Red Cross workers from across the country are on the ground and more are being deployed to help in the weeks to come.

The Red Cross is not a government agency and depends on public contributions to help others. All Red Cross assistance to disaster victims is free.

Gifts support the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross in communities across the country and around the world. To send a contribution, those interested can mail a check to:

American Red Cross
Hawaiʻi State Chapter
4155 Diamond Head Road
Honolulu, HI 96816

To make a secure online donation visit www.redcross.org/hawaii or call: (808) 739-8109.