TX Red Cross Opens Shelters, Sends Aid To Hurricane Ida Victims

DALLAS, TX —While it's still too early to have a complete assessment of the damage caused by Hurricane Ida yesterday as it made landfall, the Red Cross of North Texas is already on the ground in the devastated Gulf Coast.

According to Lisa Morgan, Communications Manager of Red Cross of North Texas, a dozen workers and volunteers have been deployed to Louisiana, and actually arrived in Baton Rouge before the storm came ashore in order to prepare to render aid.

"We have about a dozen workers and volunteers from the North Texas region on the ground there," Morgan says, "while the rest of us are supporting virtually from here.

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When disasters strike, the Red Cross typically provides health care workers, mental health professionals and essentials.

"That said," Morgan explains, "we could still use help from anyone here who wants to provide assistance. What we generally need is for people either to donate their time or make a donation. Cash donations are appreciated, because most of what we provide is bought in bulk.

"We strongly discourage people from sending us stuff, because it all has to be sorted and then moved. And especially during this time of COVID, people are more likely to trust something freshly opened from a pallet that's still sealed than something that's loose or been used."

Morgan adds that to the south, there are two Red Cross-run shelters in Orange where displaced hurricane victims have already shown up.

Those shelters, located some 90 minutes east of Houston, are already providing services and essentials to those who fled Ida's path, according to Interim Red Cross Communications Manager Jennifer Sparks.

"We're prepared for a lot of scenarios," she says. "From our standpoint, we're certainly prepared for more people to arrive. We only got our shelters open this morning, so at this point, the numbers are fluid. Some people are already choosing to return, and some are being cautioned that it's too soon."

In the interim, the Red Cross is making sure hurricane victims not only have a safe and dry place to sleep, but what Sparks calls "community resources," to help them deal with their predicament.

In addition to counseling services, she says, "some people get in such a hurry they forget their glasses, canes and walkers or diapers. And emotional care is really important, too. Don't forget: Katrina was not that long ago, and so we're dealing with repeat victims.

Anyone looking to make a donation to help the Red Cross in its mission to help others is encouraged to make a donation to RedCross. org or call 1-800 Red Cross.

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