Click here to view pictures of the press conference and shelter center

 

St. Louis, Sunday, August 31, 2008 - The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter is preparing a shelter today in anticipation of up to 600 Hurricane Gustav evacuees arriving in St. Louis from Louisiana; Governor Blunt will host a press conference at the shelter at 2:00 p.m. today to discuss Missouri's role and response to Hurricane Gustav.On Saturday, Governor Blunt announced that Missouri entered into an agreement with Louisiana to shelter 3,000 evacuees-of which 600 would be hosted in St. Louis.

 

The St. Louis Area Chapter is part of the Red Cross network working closely with federal, state and local officials and community partner organizations to help meet the needs of Gulf Coast evacuees; this includes sheltering, feeding, distributing bulk items and providing emotional support. While Missouri is anticipating 3,000 evacuees who are being evacuated from Louisiana beginning today, hundreds of thousands more are evacuating to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas after New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation yesterday. Areas of Texas and Mississippi are also enforcing mandatory evacuations in response to the National Hurricane Center issuing a Hurricane warning for the Northern Gulf Coast this morning.

 

"In an evacuation of this magnitude, large numbers of people may become disconnected from their loved ones," said Nancy Bates, executive officer of emergency services at the St. Louis Area Chapter. "We encourage all evacuees to call at least one loved one to let them know you are safe and to ask them to register you on the Red Cross Safe and Well website. And if you are looking for a loved one, you can search Safe and Well by your loved one's phone number or complete home address for confirmation they are out of harms way." Evacuees and concerned family and friends may access the Safe and Well website through www.redcrossstl.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

 

In addition to preparing a shelter and providing relief services to the evacuees who could be arriving in St. Louis, seven volunteers and the Emergency Response Vehicle from the St. Louis Area Chapter have been sent to potentially affected areas to set up and manage shelters, and help distribute food and water. Over 400 additional trained volunteers are now standing by, prepared to help the relief efforts in Missouri and the Gulf Coast region. The American National Red Cross supply warehouse in St. Louis, managed by the St. Louis Area Chapter, was activated and truckloads of supplies such as cots, blankets, comfort kits and ready-to-eat meals have been shipped to the region-additional supplies continue to be shipped as needed. The American National Red Cross currently has 200 mobile feeding trucks, 750,000 prepackaged meals, and shelter supplies for 500,000 shelter residents for a six-day period in the Gulf Coast-3,000 trained disaster workers are also being moved to the region. This is the largest Red Cross relief effort since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

As St. Louisans anticipate the destruction possible by Gustav and the thousands of Louisiana residents that could be evacuating to Missouri, many are asking how they can volunteer to help. Red Cross volunteers are highly trained, ready well before disaster strikes. In hopes of training more volunteers for disasters such as Gustav (please note that participation in training does not guarantee assignment for the Gustav relief effort), the St. Louis Area Chapter has quickly organized two training sessions for new volunteers. Friday, September 5 or Friday, September 12 in Creve Coeur, MO. New volunteers only need to attend one of the training sessions; each session runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone interested in attending should visit www.redcrossstl.org and submit an online volunteer application. The following minimum requirements apply for anyone interested in becoming a disaster volunteer:

How You Can Help
All Red Cross disaster relief assistance is free of charge, thanks to generous public support. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like Hurricane Gustav, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. To make a contribution in support of disaster relief for this and future events, please call 1.800.RED.CROSS or donate on-line at www.redcrossstl.org.

 

The American Red Cross provides immediate assistance with food, clothing, shelter and other needs in the wake of disasters and emergencies. The Red Cross is able to respond 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide a vast array of programs and services throughout the region due to the dedication of thousands of volunteers that give freely of their time.

 

About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter:
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter celebrates 91 years of dedicated service, providing emergency relief and preparedness training more than 446,600 times each year. The Red Cross is a charity, not a government agency, and depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and donors to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, services to military personnel and support for blood services. The Chapter, a United Way agency, 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. All disaster relief services are provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of the American people. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the St. Louis Area Chapter at 314.516.2800 or www.redcrossstl.org.