St. Louis, Wednesday, September 3, 2008 - The American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter is deploying six more disaster relief workers to Baton Rouge, LA to support the ongoing Hurricane Gustav relief effort.

Counting these six new deployments, the St. Louis Area Chapter has thirteen disaster volunteers helping in Louisiana. In addition, the Chapter's Emergency Response Vehicle is now in Baton Rouge, LA where disaster volunteers are distributing supplies including pillows, blankets, shampoo, toothpaste, ice and clean-up kits.

 

Here in St. Louis, the Red Cross shelter that opened yesterday for hurricane evacuees remains open tonight. Located at the South County Baptist Church (12995 Tesson Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO 63128), Red Cross volunteers are prepared to provide shelter, food, emergency supplies and emotional support for up to 200 evacuees.

 

Nationally, over 3,800 Red Cross workers from across the nation are helping in the emergency relief efforts; last night the Red Cross operated 277 shelters where 47,609 people stayed the night. As weather conditions better, Red Cross workers are moving into damage assessment work and casework for individual families.

 

As St. Louisans anticipate the destruction possible by Gustav, 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 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone interested in attending should visit www.redcrossstl.org and submit a volunteer application. The following minimum requirements apply for anyone interested in becoming a disaster volunteer:

How You Can Help
During the United Way Campaign season, we encourage donors to support United Way of Greater St. Louis; when you give to United Way you give to the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. For donors who wish to give directly to the hurricane relief efforts, 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. All Red Cross disaster relief assistance is free of charge, thanks to generous public support. For more information about making a donation, volunteer opportunities, emergency services or a variety of other programs, please call 314.516.2800, or log on to the St. Louis Area Chapter’s website at www.redcrossstl.org.  

 

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.