Back Media Advisory WHAT: Four Red Cross volunteers will deploy on Thursday to assist in the ongoing response to the 2005 Hurricane Season, bringing the total number of local Red Cross volunteers responding this season to 40. Three of the volunteers (Phyllis Oppliger of Chesterfield, Karen Proffitt of Ferguson and Tonda Van Hoose of Belleville, IL) will deploy to Orlando to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, and one volunteer (Holly Webb of St. Louis) will deploy to Mississippi for the ongoing recovery effort related to Hurricane Katrina. WHEN: Thursday, October 27, from 1:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. – Karen Proffitt, a Red Cross volunteer mental health worker, will be available for media interviews during this thirty minute period, outside Starbucks in the East Terminal (home of Southwest Airlines). WHERE: American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter Headquarters - 10195 Corporate Square Drive – Creve Coeur, MO WHY: The 2005 Hurricane Season is unprecedented in the history of the American Red Cross in terms of the size of the impacted area, the scope of the destruction and the number of people affected. The resulting relief efforts have been extensive at both the national and local levels. In St. Louis alone, more than 5,700 evacuees have received more than $1.66 million in direct emergency assistance from the Red Cross that includes food, shelter, clothing and mental health counseling. National deployments are typically three-week assignments, and Red Cross volunteers are highly trained in emergency response, specializing in establishing and managing shelters, implementing assistance to disaster victims and coordinating logistics for the overall operation. For more information regarding Red Cross emergency services or volunteering for the St. Louis Area Chapter, the public is encouraged to call 314.516.2800 or log on to www.redcrossstl.org. About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter: Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter provides emergency and preparedness assistance more than 397,000 times each year. The Red Cross depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and 140 staff to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, adult daytime professional care, services to military personnel, assistance to homeless families, and support for blood services. The Chapter provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base) and part of Madison County in Illinois. # # #

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