Red Cross Helps as Flooding Hits Texas; Midwest Faces New Tornado Threats

The American Red Cross is responding across multiple states as the greater Houston area in Texas experiences severe flooding and people in the Midwest and Plains begin to recover from the recent severe weather while facing the threat of new tornadoes.

TEXAS FLOODING High waters have inundated Houston neighborhoods, leading to flooded homes and roadways, hundreds of water rescues and mandatory evacuations. Flood watches remain in effect through the weekend as severe thunderstorms and heavy rain continue and rivers still rise.

In Texas, the Red Cross is working with county officials and emergency managers to determine what help and support are needed. Trained Red Cross disaster workers and partners are providing shelter, meals and snacks, health services and relief supplies. As many as nine shelters are open from Houston to Trinity, Texas where more than 210 people sought refuge from the flooding.

"This flooding is affecting many of our communities," said Shawn Schulze, regional chief executive officer, Texas Gulf Coast Red Cross. "The work that our Texas Gulf Coast Red Cross teams and partners are doing is ensuring that each struggling family has a warm meal, a safe place to sleep, and a ton of hope, comfort and care!"

TORNADOES It's been just over a week since the tornado outbreak in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma and weather experts predict the region may see a significant tornado outbreak in the Plains and Midwest early next week. There have been more than 100 confirmed tornadoes in the central U.S. since late April.

Trained Red Cross disaster workers are helping people impacted by the severe weather. They are coordinating with emergency management and local officials to assess community needs. Red Cross volunteers are wrapping up damage assessment in affected communities which will help us to better understand what help families may need in the coming days and weeks.

The Red Cross and partners are providing meals, relief supplies, health services and spiritual care. Caseworkers are meeting with affected people to help them plan their next steps. Shelters have closed as affected residents identified other lodging options, but people can still receive assistance by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

HOW TO HELPYou can help people affected by disasters like tornadoes, flooding and countless other crises by making a donation to support Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

FIND A SHELTER Anyone who has been affected by the storms is welcome to stop by a shelter to get information, a hot meal, charge their phone, pick up relief supplies and get other essential support. Find open shelters on redcross.org, the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) and selecting the disaster option. You can also find shelters by following your local county and city officials on social media or monitoring local news.

FLOODING SAFETY Turn around, don't drown! Stay off the roads. If you must drive and you encounter a flooded roadway, turn around and go another way.

• If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising around you, quickly get out of the car, move to higher ground and stay there. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
• Tune into your local radio, NOAA radio or news channel for the latest updates.
• If your neighborhood is prone to flooding, prepare to evacuate quickly if necessary. Follow evacuation orders and don't return until officials say it is safe.
• Stay away from floodwaters. Beware of snakes, insects and other animals or around floodwaters and your home.
• If power lines are down, don't step in puddles or standing water.
• Wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and boots, and be cautious when cleaning up.
• Throw out items that absorb water and cannot be cleaned or disinfected. This mattresses, carpeting, cosmetics, stuffed animals and baby toys.
• Discard all food, beverages and medicine exposed to floodwaters and mud.

TORNADO SAFETYWatch for tornado danger signs: dark and greenish clouds, a wall cloud or cloud of debris.

• During a tornado warning, go to your safe place immediately, whether it's a basement, storm cellar or interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. A small, windowless interior room or hallway on the lowest level of a sturdy building is the safest alternative.
• If you live in a mobile home, find a safe place in a nearby sturdy building. No mobile home is safe in a tornado. If you have access to a sturdy shelter or vehicle, go there immediately.
• If you're outside, seek shelter in a basement, shelter or sturdy building. If you cannot quickly walk to a shelter, immediately get in a vehicle and try to drive to the closest sturdy shelter. Remember to buckle your seat belt.
• Stay away from bridges or highway overpasses.
• If strong winds and flying debris occur while driving, pull over and park. Keep on your seat belt and the engine running. Put your head down below the windows and cover your head with your hands and a blanket.
• Download the free Red Cross First Aid app so you'll know what to do if emergency help is delayed and the free Emergency app for weather alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and safety steps for different emergencies. Choose whether you want to view the content in English or Spanish with an easy-to-find language selector. Find these and all of the Red Cross apps in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.

HEAT SAFETY Extreme heat is predicted to move into the area next week. Follow these steps to help you stay safe as the temperatures rise:

• Hot cars can be deadly. Never leave children or pets in your vehicle. The inside temperature of the car can quickly reach 120 degrees.
• Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, who spend much of their time alone or who are more likely to be affected by the heat.
• If someone doesn't have air conditioning, they should seek relief from the heat during the warmest part of the day in places like schools, libraries, theaters, malls, etc.
• Extreme heat can be dangerous for anyone, but especially dangerous for those with chronic medical conditions like heart disease, mental illness, poor blood circulation and obesity.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. Avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol.
• Avoid extreme temperature changes.
• Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun's rays.
• Slow down, stay indoors and avoid strenuous exercise during the hottest part of the day.
• Postpone outdoor games and activities.
• Use a buddy system when working in excessive heat.
• Take frequent breaks if working outdoors.

CLIMATE CRISISThe Red Cross is responding to nearly twice as many large disasters as we did a decade ago to help families and communities struggling with more frequent and intense disasters.In 2023 alone, the U.S. experienced an all-time high of 28 billion-dollar plus disasters that ravaged communities and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee from severe storms, floods and wildfires.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGPThrough the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster, regardless of cost.

ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; CMA CGM Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald's Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; Nationwide Foundation; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; DHL Supply Chain; DraftKings; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company Fund; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Mastercard; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket, and Winn-Dixie; Stryker; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco.

Disaster Responder Members: The 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; ALDI; American Tire Distributors; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Deluxe Corporation; The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Duke Energy; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; L'Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LHC Group; LKQ; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Macy's, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Company LP; Martin Marietta; Masco; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; The Middleby Corporation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Novartis; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation; Phillips 66; Prudential; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reliance, Inc.; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance's Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; Ulta Beauty; U.S. Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich.

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